Love and War
by ms17thst
Summary: What happens when HG and Myka have a falling out - and everything isn't working out between them ? Myka follows HG into the past - but the arguing continues.
1. Explosions

**Chapter One Explosions **

"**Love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop." Henry Louis Mencken**

* * *

"What is it Trailer?" Artie asked concerned when the dog shot up from his nap and ran under the desk. 'Come here, boy," Artie tried, but the dog was having no part of it. He ran from his hiding place and scratched frantically at the file room door. Artie knew this behavior was unusual for the mild-mannered animal, but his whimpering meant only one thing. He was looking to escape some impending doom - and right now, doom was dressed in dark attire practically running up the umbilicus. Artie opened the door for the poor pooch and went to his screen. HG was halfway through the tunnel, but he could hear Myka yelling at her even though she was not yet in view. He stepped back away from the entry door just in time as Helena pushed it opened and walked past him. She crossed the room and grabbed the Warehouse inner door so fast it almost caught her. He was about to lecture about protocol or at the very least, basic manners when the door swung opened behind him and Myka filled the doorway.

"Where is she?" she yelled at Artie. "I swear I will kill her," she shouted as she looked around the room as if she expected to see HG's presence. "Are you hiding her because if you are, well maybe you better hide her because if I get my hands on that English neck of hers," Myka said, her hands stretched in front of her forming the circle she's like to have around her partner's neck. "She is so thick; did you know that about her, Artie?" Myka said running her hands through her hair, curls cascading back down in disarray.

Artie was so tempted to say something – anything in response to the question he had waited years to be asked - and several of his top choices were starting to form on his face when Myka's attention went to the door.

"Did she go into the Warehouse?" she asked without looking at him. She went to the computer because she had a very good idea where Helena was headed.

"Maybe she …," Artie started to say, but Myka was infuriated.

"Don't defend her, Artie. Not this time," Myka said as if that had ever happened – ever. She went through the door almost running into Pete. "Outta my way, Lattimer," Myka barked.

"Hey, first your friend bites my head off and now you? A guy could get sick of this," he yelled defensively down the stairs at Myka.

"Fifty says it was HG," Pete said to Artie, as he pressed keys on the computer to find Myka on the security camera.

"That's a suckers bet. Make it seventy five and I'll take it," Artie said grabbing a chair to sit next to Pete. They watched as Myka marched down the aisles on a mission.

* * *

"Helena, I swear to God, if I get my hands on you," Myka yelled as she walked with vigor. "This time, I will … I mean it, Helena. You just make me want to scream!"

"You'd have to actually catch up to me first, darling," she heard HG's voice right in her ear. She swung around - certain she would see HG, but there was no one there. She could hear Helena laugh softly and remembered what it was.

Any other day, Myka would have marveled at the Inventor's latest Warehouse security measure – the juxtaposition of parabolic dishes made of unbreakable glass that when activated, caused the Warehouse to have its own '_whispering gallery'_, like the one in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In fact, it was Helena's time spent in the church's dome that gave her the idea. Mrs. Frederic praised it and Artie even patted her on the back – the closest thing to 'good job' he could come up with. Myka had smiled broadly at how easily these ingenious ideas came to HG, but today she just wanted to throttle her!

Myka only had this kind of strong reaction when she butted heads with Helena's stubbornness over what she considered to be a total misunderstanding. When Helena was in this mood, she had a way of misconstruing what Myka said and once she started down that road, she rarely turned back. Myka was the first to admit it when she made a mistake, but Helena found it close to unfathomable that she made any. Most of the time Myka didn't care as long as they sorted things out, but this time things spiraled and Myka let Helena have it. She reflected back to what was said –

* * *

They were in bed that morning, just a short time ago it seemed. Myka was assuring Helena that a lack of heavy breathing in no way meant anything was wrong for either party. She was distracted perhaps, preoccupied with work. Helena took the feedback the same way she took any news she did expect – not well. Perhaps if she took a step back and realized that it was really her frustration over her latest invention that had her upset, she would not have become so defensive. This was two weeks into her building the Warehouse's version of a drone and it was not going well. Six had already exploded over the Warehouse and one inside. They were very small and very expensive and Artie had been harping on the cost of HG's _experiments. _ She was frustrated and short on patience. So when Myka teased her that morning that - 'not every experiment has positive results' - Helena was insulted. She rarely had negative outcomes in her work – and of the few there were - _none_ of them had ever been in the bedroom.

"I didn't say I was _an_ experiment, Helena. I said you were a scientist by nature and ….," Myka tried.

"So you think that I am experimenting with you, that I am trying you out because at my core I am a brilliant scientist?" HG asked back defensively.

"Wait? I never said ….no. When I said…experiment…I meant … I was _your _experiment, I meant it …affectionately," Myka said, but her hesitation made HG angry.

The Brit had no patience for anything less than a constant stream of consciousness in arguments. Myka however, detested these exchanges. It made her second guess herself, but she knew she had not said anything intentionally insulting. _Had she_? As Myka was busy reflecting back on her own words though, Helena was taking off.

"You think my diary about us is just another journal for my scientific collection? Fine, then I shall put it with all the others," HG huffed and stormed out of the house. What? Myka couldn't remember saying anything about a journal, had she?

Myka tried to stop her, but HG was too fast. She took the car and headed to the Warehouse. Myka had to follow in the SUV and the time it took her to get the keys, gave HG a head start to the Warehouse and now inside it. Myka was getting angry that Helena would not listen to reason, to her about what happened. Her frustration mounted as she tried to catch up.

* * *

Now Myka walked in the direction she was certain Helena had gone.

"Helena, I know what you're going to do and you're being ridiculous," Myka let out. Any other day she would have taken that back, but not today. Today she was fuming. 'She probably didn't hear that,' Myka thought.

"Ridiculous?" echoed off the plates loudly and into Myka's ears.

"Oh boy," Myka whispered.

"I heard that too, Myka," HG said. Myka forgot that the elliptical dishes captured and transported even the slightest murmurs.

* * *

Pete took a cookie from the plate Artie brought in. "Whef shay goin?" Pete asked as crumbs fell to the floor and Trailer ate them.

"How would I know?" Artie said as he punched some keys to get HG's location. "Oh no, no you don't," he said to the screen. Pete turned to see the dot on the screen nearing the Personnel Quarters Archive.

"Uh oh," Pete said shoving another cookie in.

* * *

Helena dialed the four digit code into the rotary dial security box. The numbers "1866" appeared one by one in the nixie indicator light. Loud noises filled the Warehouse as giant gears rotated until the right room was found. Things clicked into place and when there was silence, Helena put her hand on the doorknob of the door in front of her, opened it, and stepped into her room.

The cool air hit her in the face – not only was it exactly as she had left it in London, it was lit up by an afternoon light. Usually agents had their rooms at the B&B transported here, but given the fact that Helena was presently at the B&B, they took her room from London instead. She walked with her diary in hand over to the desk where she had spent countless hours writing down her experiments and ideas for Charles' stories. She slowly ran her hand over the bindings, lovingly. She missed this room. She knew every square inch of it. She walked to the window that possessed the exact duplicate of what her street looked like out that view. It would be spring in London it seemed by the buds on the trees that swayed in the holographic image.

_Spring_? Helena thought and turned quickly. There in the door way stood the object of her deepest affections.

"Myka don't," HG said putting her hand out, but it was too late.

"Helena, I'm sorry," Myka said shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Artie pushed the plate of cookies out of the way and spilled the contents onto the floor, much to Trailer's delight and Pete's dismay. He managed to grab only one cookie and didn't care that Trailer had licked it and banged his head on the way up. "Ouch," he yelled.

"Oh she didn't. She didn't. Oh she has outdone herself this time," Artie yelled as he watched Myka enter the archived room.

"Wha dith she do?" Pete asked.

"Helena activated the Personnel Archive Room sequence and entered her room in London. I told her not to do that without authorization," Artie yelled as he got Claudia on the Farnsworth.

Pete watched the screen as Artie yelled into the device – "HG, London room, Myka closed door. How long?" he shouted.

Claudia was an expert now in speaking Artie's cryptic language and answered, "Twenty minutes tops. I'll be right there."

Artie frantically pounded keys as Pete moved out of the way. "What can I do?" he finally asked.

"Pray that Claudia can figure out the security system HG put on her room when she was in one of her moods _not to share_ with the Warehouse," Artie said disdainfully.

"Is she allowed to…?" Pete asked and then thought better of it.

"No she is not allowed to. And the Regents gave her explicit directions to remove that security system and when I asked her about it, she told me it was on her 'to do' list," Artie ranted.

"Are they… going to suffocate?" Pete finally put the pieces together.

"Suffocate? No," Artie said and Pete felt relief. "Much worse."

* * *

"I do hope you can forgive me," Helena said moving slowly towards Myka. Myka was so relieved that Helena was finally coming to her senses.

"Oh Helena, I'm so glad you're not being stubborn about this…," Myka started and Helena pushed her up against the wall.

"Myka," HG said in a breathy tone that made Myka's knees go weak. Myka couldn't explain it, but an apologetic Helena was an incredible turn on.

"Oh Helena, it's ok. I forgive …..," Myka said forgetting what the stupid argument was over, her head dizzy from HG's touch..….but then she was abruptly released. It jolted Myka back to the moment. Helena was across the room now, under the desk. Myka shook her head, trying not to let her annoyance surge. Was that a half-hearted apology to appease her?

"Helena? Did you ….just apologize or did I dream that?" Myka asked looking at the only part of her partner that she could see at the moment.

"What darling?" HG said getting up and going over to the bookcase where she ran her hands across the books.

"Did you just apologize for flying off the handle because I thought you did, but then you ….," Myka said.

"Apologize for flying off …. What? Oh no darling, not for that," HG said honestly. Myka felt deflated.

"What was all that '_I do hope you can forgive me_,' then?" Myka said in her worst imitation of HG's accent because she knew it would annoy her.

"Myka, when the Regents took my room from London to place in the archives I agreed, but I put my own security system in place lest they think my ideas and inventions were simply here for the taking," HG explained as she pulled down a book and reached behind it. "Dammit!" she said.

"So your security system…did you trigger it?" Myka asked looking around, unsure of what she was searching for.

"You did, when you closed the door," HG said nonchalantly.

"Well, you could have warned me, Helena," Myka said annoyed, pointing out the obvious.

"I did try," HG said truthfully.

"Well I followed you in here remember. So what happens now? We are locked in here? For how long?" Myka said because she wasn't sure she wanted to be locked up with Helena right now. She was getting on Myka's last nerve.

"I'm afraid for …eternity, darling," HG said.

* * *

"Artie?" Claudia said rushing into the room.

"No luck, kiddo," he said after nothing he pressed into the computer worked.

"What's worse than suffocating?" Pete asked worried.

"Being inside a room that is going to explode in 14 minutes and thirty seconds," Artie answered.

* * *

Even though this is intended to be short, I appreciate your comments/feedback always.


	2. Pushing Buttons

**Chapter Two Pushing Buttons**

**"Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably." William Shakespeare, **_**Much Ado About Nothing**_

* * *

"You know Helena, I'm not entirely sure I want to be locked in here with you for an eternity," Myka said uncharacteristically unfocused.

"You may have no alternative," HG answered as she searched other books now.

"_You may have no alternative_," Myka mocked because she was still reeling from the faux apology. "So get us out brilliant one, or did you forget where you put the key?"

Now there was no mistaking Myka's tone and Helena stopped to stare at her.

"Darling," she said drawing in a deep breath.

"Don't _darling_ me Helena, until you apologize for jumping all over me about …before …and because you just said you were sorry and kissed me and then took it back," Myka said with her hands on her hips.

Perhaps if there wasn't eminent doom hanging over her head, Helena would have found _assertive Myka_ appealing, but time was of the essence and she was short on patience.

"Get out of my way," HG said forgetting to say _please_.

"What?" Myka said now furious. "Did you just say _get out of my way_? You did not just say that," Myka seethed.

"Myka!" HG said sternly and it stopped Myka momentarily. "There is a self-destruct device attached to this room and it is about to go off in less than 13 minutes. So I suggest you put your adolescent rage on hold until we see if we can find the abort button. Could you manage that?" HG asked emphatically. Myka's eyes grew wide with concern…and fury.

"You put a self-destruct device on your room in the Personnel Quarters Archive? Why Helena? Why would you do that?" Myka yelled at her.

"I do not have time to discuss my motives," HG snapped as she felt under the bed.

"You don't have time? You are going to get us both killed …_again_….and you don't have time to explain it to me?" Myka asked.

"Again? Oh I thought you had let go of that?" HG harrumphed.

"I had let go of it - until now, when apparently the brilliant scientist booby-trapped her own room and is going to get us killed …_again_," Myka repeated, unable to realize she was not helping.

"I don't care for the way you just said 'brilliant', Myka Bering," HG said getting insulted. The bed search rendered no solution.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Because it does not seem _brilliant_ to me to set a trap for your room, fall into that trap, and now not know how to undo that trap," Myka said with her arms crossed.

"You made us fall into the trap when you shut that door behind you, and I do know how to undo it, but your diatribe is annoyingly distracting," HG complained hurling the words at Myka.

"My what?" Myka yelled back not because she didn't understand, but because she couldn't believe how insulting HG was….and in the face of danger.

* * *

When it finally dawned on Pete that Artie wasn't as calm as he appeared, he lost it too. "I'm going down there, " he said leaping from his seat. "What is the energy source?"

"I don't know! She was supposed to dismantle it, dammit. Anything?" Artie asked as he turned to Claudia.

"It's a code I think. I'm running possible combinations. Given HG's ego, I'm thinking maybe something that has to do with her," Claudia said pressing buttons.

"I've got to try to see if I can do something from the outside," Pete said running downstairs.

Artie called after him, but Pete was gone. Truth be told, Artie wasn't sure if the internal explosion would be contained, although that is how the rooms were built. The Warehouse would protect itself from any inner room eruption.

* * *

"Myka…," HG started, but knew she needed to get her attention back to finding the location of the abort key. "I am not having this argument with you. I refuse to have our last words to each other be harsh ones."

"You're not having this argument because you know you'll lose. Wait! What? Our last words?" Myka gulped.

"Yes, if I don't find the termination switch, this room will explode and it will ….," HG said trying not to think about that. "And I would not lose."

"Helena," Myka finally said slowly, "What do you mean you can't find it?" she asked looking around at the room as if to say '_not that big'_.

"I programed the cease sequence to move from several devices on a rotating basis and I can't seem to remember what that schedule is," HG said smiling uncomfortably.

"Brilliant, just brilliant," Myka said now looking for the unknown device by pulling things off shelves.

"Again, I don't care for the way you're saying that and you have no idea what you're looking for so please don't pull everything apart," HG said.

"Well, if you told me what I was looking for, I would know. Don't pull the room apart? Helena, we're going to be blown apart thanks to you and you're worried about the tidiness of the room?" Myka asked.

Helena knew Myka had a point. "There are twenty-six devices in the room," HG started.

"Twenty six? You had to pick twenty-six?" Myka yelled.

"One for each letter of the alphabet," HG explained as if that should clear up the matter. "We have to locate the items that start with each letter of the alphabet and see which one is the abort device."

"You couldn't leave out the vowels? Abacus?" Myka said grabbing it and shaking it.

"No darling, I'm up to 'f' ," HG clarified.

They grabbed at the fan, and then the globe, the hot water bottle, the iron, her jewels, a knife in the desk drawer, every lamp in the room, her Monte Blanc pens, and the nightstand inside and out, the optical lenses on her desk, the pillows, and even the quilts were checked for devices. Helena even placed her eye over the rudimentary retina recognition device she had invented, but nothing happened.

* * *

"Myka! HG!" Pete pounded on the door outside. They could hear the banging, but far away. Myka ran to the door.

"Pete?" she yelled.

"Myka, the room ….is booby-trapped," Pete yelled in.

"Yes, I know Pete. I'm in here with the boob that trapped it. She can't find the device to abort it from in here," Myka yelled back.

"OK, keep looking. I'll check out here to see if I can cut the power source or something," Pete said through the door.

"Not 's'," Myka heard HG say behind her.

"We're up to 't'," Myka yelled out to him, but only confused him.

"This is not the time for tea, tell HG," he responded before leaving.

"Not 't' either," HG said pulling out the table and anything else she could find that started with that letter.

Myka instinctively grabbed the umbrella, but nothing. She moved to the vase as HG looked at the violin. Myka knocked the vase over and it broke. "Myka, really do be careful," HG said exasperated. It was her favorite vase.

"Again, we're about to die and you're worried about the vase? Focus Helena! Get that high IQ in gear and find that device!" Myka yelled, out of patience.

Helena glared, but kept moving – there was only six minutes left.

* * *

Pete got Claudia on the Farnsworth. "What about just smashing the entry key?" he asked.

"No good. We need to stop the internal countdown sequence. I don't see any other way. The power source is in the room's casing. Not sure how you can get to it. It's powered by the generators. Pete, I don't know that you won't feel the explosion so please get out of there," Claudia tried to warn him.

The next image was of Artie's face demanding that Pete return to safety, but Pete was closing the device. There had to be something he could do from right there. He ran to the energy station and started to pull levers, shutting off power to the Room Archive generator.

* * *

"How much time?" Artie asked not really wanting to know.

"Three minutes," Claudia said looking at the countdown clock.

"How far are you in the sequence?" he asked as calmly as he could as he searched the database.

"Three quarters through the personal numbers I could associate with HG," Claudia said trying to come up with what else the Inventor might have used. "I wish I knew her favorite color," she said wondering if there were other things she could test.

"Green," Artie answered and then looked at a surprised Claudia.

"We were … oh never mind. It's green," Artie shouted uncomfortable that he would be the source of that info.

Claudia tried other words that might fit into a sequence, but nothing was coming up positive.

* * *

Myka and HG were down to the items that started with 'x' and 'y'. Myka was getting frantic because as she looked around she realized she could not pick out any items.

"The lamp" HG said pointing to the one nearest Myka. "We did lamps, Helena. For 'l'," Myka said slowly.

"The bulb – is Xeon," HG said and her tone was definitely changed. Myka removed the shade and twisted the light bulb, but nothing happened.

There were fewer items to check now and the room felt very still. "I'm assuming you don't have yarn? Or yeast in here?" Myka asked almost smiling.

Helena's eyes kept searching._ Damn her, bad enough she set a trap, did she have to create so elaborate a counter system? All to protect her journals?_

"Myka!" I was wrong. It's not one of the items. I abandoned that idea. It's the journals. It's in one of them ….," HG yelled and Myka understood. They grabbed the small books, one after the other and opened each one.

"It's contained in a hallowed out journal," HG remembered.

When all thirty books were scattered upon the floor, not one had been hallowed out, not one contained the device. Helena looked at the clock that contained the seconds ticking away.

"Come here, Myka," HG said and took her hand. "It seems this is the day Wells and Bering will not be solving the puzzle," she said softly as she pulled Myka to the bed to lie down. "Better to shield your eyes," she said and Myka pushed her head into HG's shoulder.

"I am so very sorry, Myka," HG said clutching her tightly as the room began to vibrate violently. The noise became so deafening that HG could not hear Myka respond, "I love you, Helena."

* * *

Pete saw the door pulsating and could hear the racket of the vibrations. The noise escalated until he had to cover his ears.

Realizing the sequence program had run out of time, Claudia and Artie ran down to be with Pete. They pulled him behind the shelving just as a blinding light shot from the door frame.

Claudia couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face. Artie stared at the door, unable to move. Pete gasped and ran to it, banging on it and pleading with God to let it be okay. His adrenalin kicked in to overdrive and he pulled the door open.

There behind it was the vast expanse of the archived rooms side by side, floor by floor. Across in the distance was the darkened vacancy.

Helena's room was gone.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading along and especially to those who found time/interest to post comments.  
I do very much appreciate that - - esp since it gives me ideas of where to take this story.  
**


	3. Love Makes All Things Possible

**Short update - thank you for reading along.  
As a note - I do not address the issue of Christina in this story (too heavy)**

* * *

**Chapter Three Love Makes All Things Possible**

"**Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell." Joan Crawford**

* * *

Myka expected that the last thing she would feel in this world was the tight grip Helena had on her. In spite of the impending fire and pain, she never felt as safe in her life as she did in that grasp. And then – the sensation of that bed dropping to the floor – the _bang_ reverberating through the bedpost and mattress to grip at her heart. She thought she had been shot. Helena moved her head, but did not loosen her grip until she gently released her.

"What happened?" Myka asked and looked around the room. She couldn't tell if more items fell on the floor or if they had done that themselves in the frantic search. Helena got up off the bed and stepped over objects to get to the desk. The clock pulsated with all zeros in bright red. The time had lapsed.

"Are we okay?" Myka asked standing up.

"I don't understand it," Helena said.

"Don't understand what, Helena?" Myka asked moving slowly off the bed.

"The time mechanism indicates that the time was up, and yet the device did not go off. That's impossible," HG said.

"But it's not impossible right? I mean, maybe there was a glitch, a goof, an error," Myka said and Helena looked at her surprised.

"An _error_, Myka? A _glitch_?" HG said with disdain. "That is not only improbable, it is highly impossible," HG said confidently. Myka had to think for a minute to see if she understood this.

"So you find it _impossible_ that your design -that would have gotten us killed - failed? Myka asked confused.

"I find impossible that my device did not succeed, yes," HG clarified.

"But if it worked, we would be dead!" Myka pointed out.

"Yes, I know. So you can appreciate my conflict," HG said sincerely.

Her right brain was processing how fortunate they were to be alive while her left brain was dissecting how her security system could have failed – and it came up with nothing.

"Helena," Myka said hugging her. "I'm just so happy… I thought we were ….," she said unable to put words to it.

"Yes, me too darling, me too," HG said, but her eyes were on the window. "Myka?" she said slowing turning Myka to face the same view. There out the window with the holographic view was something different. Helena wasn't sure what it was, but it was different.

"Do you hear birds?" Myka asked certain that she could now.

There was a loud bang on the door and they both sighed and smiled. _Pete! Oh thank God_, they said together. The bedroom door flew open.

* * *

"Helena?" the male voice bellowed in the room and Myka stared at the stranger. It seemed like there was silence for minutes, until HG finally spoke.

"Father?" Helena said truly shocked.

"Well who the bloody blazes would it be? What were you doing in here? I could hear the racket all the way down in my study. Oh, pardon me. Helena, where are you manners?" Mr. Wells said looking over at Myka. Myka froze in her place.

"What? Oh yes, you want me to introduce my friend. Yes, of course you do," Helena said, her tone confirming her surprise. "Father, this- is- Myka," Helena said slowly and didn't offer more.

"Good afternoon, Miss Myka. Helena, what the dickens have you done to your room? You will clean it immediately. I will not have the upstairs maid complain to me again about this room. She fears for her life most of the time," Mr. Wells said from the doorway. His tone was stern, but not harsh.

"But…," Helena started because it was second nature to her to defend the state of her room. After all, isn't this where some of the greatest inventions and discoveries were made?

"And I can't say I approve of that clothing, Helena. Please change before dinner or you will give your mother another migraine," her father said. He bowed his head to Myka and closed the door. Myka hadn't moved.

* * *

"Where are we Helena?" Myka asked looking around the room.

"I'm not certain, but my guess is that the room took us back to London and considering that man bears a striking resemblance to my father, I'd say we are in London. He did not seem surprised to see me nor questioned my physical appearance; therefore, I'd say we are in the 1880's.

"Helena! The 1880's? _Your _1880's? I thought we couldn't time travel. Didn't you say we couldn't time travel, Helena? Doesn't Stephen Hawking say we can't time travel?" Myka yelled in a hushed voice. Helena pushed things out of her way as she paced the room.

"We can't, Myka. Something else is at play here. The room!" she said, snapping her fingers.

"The room?" Myka asked looking around as if it suddenly came alive.

"The room must have returned to its place of origin, thereby taking us with it. I knew my security device worked," HG said proudly, certain that it had been the cause of what she could not yet explain.

"Uhm, I don't mean to rain on your Pulitzer Prize parade over there," Myka started, but HG corrected her.

"Nobel, not Pulitzer," the Brit smiled and Myka got annoyed.

"You better clean your room Helena, before your father comes back," Myka said sitting back on the bed.

"Help me," HG said thinking they made the mess; they should clean up the mess.

"Oh alright, but you better figure out a way to get us back, Helena. I mean, you are going to get us back aren't you?" Myka asked looking around.

"Yes, I am," HG said going over to the clock on her desk.

"Not that I don't relish the thought of someone putting you in your place," Myka said under her breath, but loud enough to be heard.

"What? You think…my father…. He?...in my place? You can't be serious, darling," HG said chiding her partner.

"Then why are you cleaning up your room?" Myka asked smugly. She made Helena stop in her tracks and if she had the time, she would have argued. Truth be told, she didn't know how much time they had.

"Myka, listen to me. I don't think this was time travel in the usual sense," HG said, taking the back of the clock off.

"Well, I don't care what _sense _it was, Helena. I thought there were reasonable explanations about why we can't time travel. Wait, are we really back in the Warehouse, attached to your machine, but think we are here?" Myka tried.

"No, we are not inhabiting other people like you and Pete did, of that I am certain. You look like you and I look like the 21st Century version of me. No I think the time travel was done solely by the room and we are simply its passengers." HG said.

"How will you get it to return?" Myka asked.

"I am hoping if I reset the clock, it will cause the room to regenerate with power and return us. The room only knows two destinations," HG said tinkering with the internal gears.

"You don't think it's funny that the father of HG Wells just said '_what the Dickens_?" Myka laughed, looking out the window.

"He didn't mean Charles Dickens, Myka. _Dickens_ is a euphemism for _devil _from the 16th century," HG lectured as she worked.

"It's amazing that in the middle of trying to save us, you can find time for all these lessons," Myka said feeling silly for her misspoken words.

"It's no bother," HG said seriously, missing Myka's sarcasm.

* * *

"Artie! What do we do?" Pete yelled as he stared across at the abyss of rooms.

"I don't know, I don't know –we have to access the Warehouse system – see if it tells us if it recorded that room leaving," Artie said as the only next step he could think of.

Claudia had slumped down against the shelving, too stunned to cry anymore. Myka and HG were gone? There had to be something they could do. She never admired her brilliant mentor more than at that moment, but promised to kill her as soon as she got back. The only way for Claudia to reduce the pain in her chest was to tell herself over and over that they were not gone, just lost. And that they would find them.

"Are there remnants? Is the room missing or does it look as if it was blown apart?" Pete asked Artie as they stared at the empty space across from them.

"We need to access it. Put in the code," Artie was yelling, but Claudia stopped them.

"Artie, I don't think we should touch anything. If HG has this room on a power sequence, and we mess around with anything, it could disrupt their return," the tech wizard spoke calmly.

"Disrupt their return?" Pete yelled. "So you think it's a round trip, right? You think HG sent them somewhere and they're coming back right?"

"I hope so, Pete. I really do," Claudia said accessing the Warehouse database. He watched as she pressed keys and read results.

"What? What?" Pete asked when he saw her expression. Artie was on the other side of her.

"Give her a minute, Pete. What? What does it say?" Artie asked, unable to be patient himself.

"It says they're still here," Claudia said slowly.

They turned back to look at the quarter archives and the empty slot. Clearly they weren't.

* * *

**The topic of time travel is always problematic - so bear with me. This is a story about what happens**  
**when Myka and HG hit a bump in their relationship. Thank you for reading along and any comments you  
care to make. Much appreciate them.  
**


	4. Misery Loves Company

**Chapter Four Misery Loves Company **

**Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war, love is growing up. James Arthur Baldwin.**

* * *

"I was being sarcastic!" Myka finally informed her partner. She wanted to lash out – yet knew Helena was busy working – but felt terribly hurt and ignored – and worse – dismissed. Myka stared out the window fighting the pangs of pain swelling inside her.

"Oh, well I really don't think we have time to focus on you at the moment, " HG said calmly. She pulled the back off the clock and stared at the mechanisms. _Would rewinding it be enough to make the room think it was at a previous state_, she wondered.

Helena words and indifferent tone were a cover up for the concern she felt inside. She had decided that sharing her deepest apprehensions at the moment would be of no help, and since Myka was already _carrying on i_n her mind, she would keep things to herself right now.

"Helena, I don't think….," Myka said unable to hold back.

"Myka, please! Could you manage to occupy yourself for just the shortest amount of time?" HG's asked impatiently – her tone sounding very parental. Her delivery was successful as Myka felt very chastised indeed.

"Could I _manage_? Oh yes, Helena, I think I can _manage_ just fine!" Myka said abruptly behind the Brit.

HG closed her eyes wishing calm would return to the room when she heard the last sound she wanted to hear – the bedroom door slamming shut again. She turned wide eyed at the action. She ran to the door and opened it.

"Myka! Get back here immediately!" was the unscientific way HG expressed her concern about Myka interacting with the past. Had she picked up on Myka's mood even the slightest, she would have known those words were poorly chosen.

* * *

Myka had not given her next action too much thought – she just knew she could not stand to be in the same room as Helena even if they were in a different time period and so – she left. It wasn't until she was down the long staircase did she realize she was in somewhat unfamiliar territory. She had been in the house once, and that had been a few years ago. She was about to retrace her steps quietly when a woman appeared at the bottom landing. She was beautifully outfitted in a long light blue dress and her hair was immaculately in place. There was something about the middle aged woman that exuded calmness as soon as Myka saw her.

"Oh you must be Helena's friend," the woman said sweetly. "I am Mrs. Wells, Helena's mother. Do come join me for a cup of tea."

Myka's feet should have been back tracking. She should have been making some excuse not to go farther, but she found herself smiling and nodding. The woman made no movement, and yet Myka was completely drawn to her. She felt as if the softest wind was pushing at her back as she moved down the stairs.

"I am sorry, but my husband has forgotten to tell me your name," Mrs. Wells said.

"Myka," Myka offered and saw the unmistakable resemblance when she smiled.

"Well, tell me Myka, oh that is such a pretty name," Mrs. Wells said as she took Myka's arm and led her to the sitting room. "How do you and Helena know each other?"

"We…eh…met….," Myka said sitting on the sofa as Mrs. Wells handed her a cup of tea in the finest china she had ever seen.

"At university?" Mrs. Wells filled in and Myka accepted that and nodded.

"Well, I was not for Helena attending, but once that girl gets an idea in her head, there is simply no stopping her," her mother sighed.

"Tell me about it," Myka let out and then quickly smiled.

"You're from America?" Mrs. Wells asked offering Myka a scone which she politely refused.

"Yes, I am," Myka confirmed hoping that would explain the clothing that Mrs. Wells had stared at.

"Helena wants to go there some day. I do wish she would stop all this prattling about inventions and such. It's fine for a woman to have some interests outside of the home, but for all the hours she spends locked in her room or that laboratory downstairs, I am surprised she finds time for all her social activities," the older woman laughed.

Myka sipped her tea as she had sized Mrs. Wells up as someone who enjoyed conversation. Myka's expression of '_do tell_' was all she needed.

"Just the other day I was saying to Charles, oh that's Helena's brother, do you know him?" Mrs. Wells asked and Myka choked a bit on her tea.

"I've heard Helena speak of him many times," she said truthfully.

"Oh you would love Charles. Anyway, the other day he was complaining that Helena ruined yet another of his friendships with a colleague. Charles feels caught when Helena discards yet another beau without so much as an ounce of grace, poor fellow. Her brother has forbidden her to accept any more invitations from his friends. Just forbidden it!" Mrs. Wells shared.

"And how's that going?" Myka asked as if she didn't know the answer.

"Not very well, I'm afraid. Helena has always had a mind of her own. And when she gets that way, she tends to forget her manners. Not for lack of training, mind you. We've done our very best to raise her, but she always has been such a… spirited child," HG's mother said casting her eyes up at HG's room and sighing.

Myka joined her in looking upward. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean," Myka said and then smiled back at her hostess.

"Between you and me, I fear Helena will never find anyone who can put up with that … _spiritedness_," Mrs. Wells smiled uncomfortably.

"I can assure you she will, Mrs. Wells, although they will have to be a _very_ patient person," Myka said smiling over her cup of tea.

"Oh patience by the barrel," Mrs. Wells laughed and when she did, Myka could see the same twinkle in her eyes that was in Helena's. "She knows how to test them."

"I'll say she does," Myka said as the warm tea slipped past her lips.

"Myka!" they heard her name being called from upstairs.

"I best go see what your daughter wants," Myka said putting her teacup down.

"Myka, I am glad you are friends with Helena. I sense you're a very good influence on her. Thank you for that," Mrs. Wells said smiling.

"You're welcomed. I like Helena… a lot," Myka replied.

She excused herself and went up the stairs.

* * *

Helena seemed stuck on the on the other side of the bedroom door, waving at Myka to hurry but not crossing the threshold.

"Did you seriously think that was a good idea?" HG said as she closed the door behind Myka.

"Actually Helena, I did. If I had stayed here, it would have reduced our chances of getting back significantly," Myka answered calmly.

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?" HG asked bewildered.

"Because I was going to strangle you," Myka said matter-of-factly. Helena pulled back in surprise.

"You can't be serious?" HG asked seriously.

"Yes, even your mother knows you're …what's the word she used?…. Oh yes, '_spirited_', but we both know she means _stubborn and impossible_," Myka shared.

"She? You? You were talking with my mother?" HG asked.

"Yes, we had tea," Myka said glad to hear that it was Helena who was upset now.

"You do know from my many lectures on the subject of time travel that one is never to interfere with past events, or introduce new information in the past, or interact with people one has never met with …in the past," HG said surprised Myka had broken such a cardinal rule.

"Yes, I remembered, but brace yourself Helena for this news flash..," Myka said and leaned into HG. "I did it anyway," she finished.

"Well, I do hope you're proud of yourself Myka Bering. Do you know why I did not join you for tea?" HG asked.

"You weren't invited?" Myka pointed out.

"No, I did not venture out of this room because I could have run into myself just as you might have. Now, what would you have done if you ran into me downstairs while you were having tea with my mother?" HG asked, hands on her hips.

"I would have told you not to booby trap your room," Myka yelled back.

HG's concerns did give Myka pause, but she wouldn't give Helena the satisfaction of admitting she was right. Helena groaned out load rather than continue the tete-a-tete.

"I think I have reset the clock to the exact time that the countdown started. With any luck, the room will regenerate the power surge and return us to our point of origin," HG said putting the back on the clock.

"How will it know the point of origin?" Myka asked.

"I've done an algorithm to calculate that based on our distance, the speed of light, and the propulsion rate of the mass of the room and contents," HG said looking at her notes.

"Thank you, Helena," Myka said sincerely - realizing while she was downstairs cooling off, Helena was trying to get them back.

"You're welcome, Myka," HG said smiling.

"So, back on the bed?" Myka asked.

"You know darling, under any other circumstances, those words would excite me terribly," HG said.

* * *

"Check it again," Artie said as Claudia repeated the strokes. The Warehouse program scrolled and flashed the same message: _At this time, all Personnel Quarters are in place._

"How can that be?" Pete asked looking at the vacant spot.

"We have to call Mrs. Frederic," Artie said aware that the protocol in such an instance was to alert her right away.

"Oh she is going to have a conniption," Pete said grabbing his forehead.

"While I am gravely concerned for the safety of Agents Bering and Wells, Agent Lattimer, I am not one for hysterical fits caused by extreme excitement or anger," Mrs. Fredric said as she approached them.

Pete snapped his fingers. "I really should have known that was going to happen."

"You know?" Artie asked his boss.

"Yes," came the quick reply.

"We think they're…gone," Artie said, careful to choose his words for Claudia's sake because she was fighting back tears.

"Gone, but not forgotten," Mrs. Frederic said slowly. If her words were meant to comfort anyone, they did not succeed.

Pete slammed the door to the archive area shut. Claudia ran upstairs, the sobs now audible. He went up after her.

"You don't mean ….," Artie said trying to get at the answer.

"I mean Arthur - that they have never done anything like this before, and so their future is very uncertain," the Sage said deliberately.

* * *

**Many thanks for reading along and especially for those who posted thoughts and comments. It does help in writing the **  
**future chapters so I thank you for taking the time. **


	5. The Road Less Traveled

**Chapter Five The Road Less Traveled**

**"Anger is one letter short of **_**danger."**_** ~Author Unknown**

* * *

Helena pressed the button on the clock and moved quickly to her place on the bed, alongside Myka. She resumed her tight hold on her lover as she had done on the first trip. She pushed Myka's head into her chest, and watched as the numbers decreased. The closer it got to zero, the tighter she squeezed. She braced for what she hope would be the return trip, but suddenly the clock stopped. Myka could hear Helena's heart pounding in her chest- the only sound in the room now. Afraid to move, HG stared at the clock for a couple of seconds.

"It didn't work!" she finally said angrily. She jumped off the bed and grabbed the clock. Her first instinct was to apply pressure by slamming the damn thing, but the scientist in her prevailed. She gently pried off the back and immediately saw the problem.

"Bloody hell," HG cursed as she put the clock back down.

"What is it Helena?" Myka asked resuming her position next to HG.

"The wire has come loose," HG explained.

"Wire? There are wires in that clock?" Myka asked surprised since it appeared to be digital from the outside.

"Yes, I installed a wire so high frequencies would not interfere with…," HG said.

"Helena, you really were hell bent on no one entering this room. Or leaving it?" Myka asked wide eyed. "You know the Regents are not going to be happy with this – the idea that you were going to harm them – literally – Helena, how could you?" Myka asked grasping what she thought was the full impact.

"Myka! I wasn't going to harm anyone. I was going to ….deter them, scare them maybe," HG said looking around at the fact her predicament belied her intentions.

"Sweetie, not sure if you got this memo from HQ – but the Regents do not take kindly to being deterred nor do they scare easily. Although I'm pretty sure a trip through time might have done it. Wait," Myka said finally grasping what HG had said.

"Myka, we really need to…," HG said trying to get Myka to focus.

"You said this room was going to explode. You specifically said _explode_ as in fire and boom!" Myka said staring at HG.

"Well if you must know, Myka, I may have exaggerated ….just a little," HG said turning her attention back to the problem at hand.

"A little?" Myka yelled through clenched teeth.

Helena closed her eyes and turned to face Myka. "I surrounded the room with a propulsion mechanism that when activated by the door and the clock, would provide enough time for anyone to exit the room quickly … if the door was not closed. If they were coming in to retrieve an item, I saw no reason for them to close the door," HG said emphasizing that it was the closure that triggered this event.

"And ….," Myka prompted.

"When you closed the door, it sealed off this room by breaking the sequence outside in the Warehouse. The force within the walls built up and I calculated that there might be an internal explosion. It turned out to be a jettison of sorts – through time apparently," HG said still thinking it through.

"You've done it this time, Wells," Myka let out.

"Now you sound like Artie," Helena said.

"If we live to get back to the Warehouse, he will be the least of your problems," Myka thought out loud.

"Yes, well in order of us to give this another try, you'll need to retrieve something for me," Helena said looking at the wire. "You'll need to get the soldering iron."

"Sure thing. I'll just pop on down to the neighborhood hardware store. Be back in a jiffy," Myka said facetiously.

"You know, Oscar Wilde said that _sarcasm was the lowest form of wit_," HG said smiling, but not meaning a centimeter of it.

"Well Oscar Wilde was never trapped in a room with you," Myka retorted.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Myka," HG said reflecting back to an incident where that very thing happened.

Myka turned quickly on her heels. "I hope you live through this Helena just so I can get back to the Warehouse and strangle you!"

"Well, in order to oblige your fantasy my dear, I am afraid you are going to have to go into the basement of this house and procure the instrument we need," HG said bitingly.

"You just yelled at me for going out there and now you want me to go back? You go – you know where everything is," Myka said.

"Wish that I could Myka, because it would be faster, but we cannot chance me running into me. We can hardly chance you running into me, but since you've already been 'out there' and it didn't seem to result in altering what was going on in here, it might be safer," HG concluded.

"Oh for crying out loud," Myka complained knowing HG was right.

Helena should have left it alone, but found herself advising Myka: "And as tempting as it might be Myka, please do not engage anyone especially me." Myka stared at HG as she described what she needed and exactly where it would be.

* * *

Myka slowly opened the door and listened, but heard no one. She gradually moved to the stairs and descended carefully and undetected. She walked to the back of the staircase and opened the door and slipped in. The switch was right were Helena said it was and Myka flipped it to give the darkened room some light. She went down the flight of steps into what was nothing short of a combination chemistry lab and mechanical garage. Machines in bits and pieces strewn the table and floor and there were shelves that lined the walls, filled with books and items.

The eeriest sensation came over Myka – the real sense that she was in a place she did not belong. The hairs on her neck stood up and there was an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. _So this is what it feels like when the universe is out of whack_, she thought to herself. She refocused and went to the table where the soldering iron was. She put it into her pocket and heard a click. Her heart pounded in her chest as she heard the gun – and then owner.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you're ransacking my office," Helena Wells said from the other side of the small pistol.

"Oh crap," Myka said and put her hands up.

* * *

"Now when you say _uncertain_…," Artie pressed even though it was quite evident to him that his boss was beyond annoyed.

"Arthur, you know that I have been more than patient with Agent Wells. I have supported her through her entire transition back to the Warehouse ….twice. I have not been naïve about her. I know what lurks in that heart of hers and I know, for the most part, she has managed to control herself. But this is inexcusable, Arthur," Mrs. Frederic said as if Artie had defended her. He had not, but he started to worry.

"OK, but they …she and Myka….are they….," Artie asked and wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

"They are trying to find their way back, as we speak," the Sage said, and Artie grabbed his own chest and let out a sigh.

"Oh thank God," Artie said.

"Hold your salutations until they are here, Arthur. If they make it through that door, you can give them, but their return is uncertain. God may not play with dice, but Helena Wells certainly has. I am going to the Regents now. They will have more than enough to say about this I am sure," Mrs. Frederic said.

"You don't think they will…..." Artie asked concerned that they would deem it necessary to separate Helena from herself again.

"They will not do that again," his boss said knowing the rest of his question. "They will want her in one piece….. so I can deal with her."

Of all the times Artie wanted Helena's consequence served to her on a silver platter, this was not one of them. The Regents would listen to Mrs. Frederic and if she wasn't on HG's side, he shuddered to think what would be handed down. Then he thought about the pain her actions had caused her friends, especially Claudia. He decided if they did make it back, Helena would have to answer to the team as well. _God_, he prayed, _let them make it back_.

* * *

Myka turned to look at the woman who she knew was aiming a gun at her. In spite of the fact that Myka knew every hair on that woman's head, she found the sight of her breathtaking. It seemed time never did touch the Time Traveler – and her ivory skin shone even in this dimly lit room. What little light there was from the single light – shone near Helena and Myka's face was masked by the shadows. Helena's eye flashed as she drew in a sharp breath when she faced her intruder. She had expected a man based on the clothing, and was more than pleasantly surprised to find it to be a woman – a beautiful woman.

Something jolted in Myka's brain – and it sounded just like HG's voice telling her that she was not to engage her under any circumstances. So Myka did what she was trained to do in a situation like this – she subdued her opponent. The intruder's beauty caught Helena Wells off guard and that was her one mistake. The only thing she saw up close after that was those piercing green eyes looking into hers from above - just before she blacked out. Eyes she swore she would never forget. Myka caught her victim and gently guided her to the couch and laid her down. It was Helena's own lesson in nerve depression that allowed Myka to temporarily render the Brit unconscious, allowing her to retreat upstairs.

Myka looked down at Helena Wells' closed eyes, her soft lips so tempting that she found herself drawn to them. She could feel Helena's soft breath on her own lips as she leaned in. She kissed her own index finger and then placed it gently on those lips of the woman she would not meet for many years to come.

* * *

Myka retraced her steps without anyone seeing her. She slipped back inside the bedroom and HG could tell by her expression that something had happened. "You met me, didn't you?" she assumed correctly.

"I had to subdue you," Myka said nervous now that she had tampered with the past. She would not share the part where she kissed that Helena because she had enough lectures for one day.

Helena squinted her eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"I don't recall ever being subdued in the basement," she said thoughtfully. "Well, not by anyone as beautiful as you," she added and Myka looked at her. _What did that mean_?

"There, that should do it," HG said as the wire held to the connection. The timer started and Myka felt Helena pull her back to the bed.

"Third time a charm?" HG whispered in Myka's ear.

"This is only the second ….Oh," Myka said realizing that Helena was including their first time in bed this morning when nothing happened - in her equation.

The click of the digital clock continued as the number decreased. Myka shut her eyes, content to feel Helena's body next to hers. The shaking commenced and a loud siren noise began to crescendo until it was deafening. The women huddled closely together as the shaking became more violent and light ceased to enter the room. Myka thought if it lasted one second longer, she would lose it. The noise finally decreased in volume and the shaking subsided. Helena held onto Myka, her head buried into HG's chest. The room slowly regained light.

"I think we're done," HG said purposely not saying 'back' because she was unsure of their location.

"Do you think?" Myka asked.

"Only one way to find out," Helena said as she gently released Myka.

Helena purposely stood in front of Myka as she put her hand on the bedroom door. It would either open up to London or the Warehouse. If it were London, Helena feared they would be stuck forever and disaster would ensue from the future clashing with the past. If it were the Warehouse, she would immediately write down all her notes so that she could start exploring this phenomenon.

"Please let us be home," Myka said squeezing HG's hand.

"Please let us be safe," HG added.

Only one of them was right.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading along. **


	6. Home Sweet Home

**This story - at its heart - is about Myka and HG's relationship - when things aren't going smoothly.  
In order to showcase that, the plot was born. This chapter may get a little of track, but only to bring  
the story line along a bit. Hope it works - if not - let me know. I do appreciate your thoughts. **

* * *

**Chapter Six Home Sweet Home**

"**Quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on ****one**** side." Francois de la Rochefoucauld**

* * *

When the Warehouse Keeper's car pulled up outside the diner, the waitress placed the '_closed_' sign on the door. The Sage took her seat inside at a booth where Mr. Kosan was waiting. The Regents gathered closer to discuss the latest event.

"I am afraid we find ourselves meeting more about Agent Wells' transgressions than for any other official business anymore," one of them pointed out.

"What is it this time?" another asked.

"She managed to detonate the security system she placed on her room in the Personnel Quarter Archive," Mrs. Frederic reported.

"It didn't…?" another asked afraid of the damage.

"No, it was set more as a deterrent, and she did tell Agent Nielsen about it," the Sage reported, and then added – "It was on her to-do list to remove it." That didn't impress anyone.

"How many times does this make that we are meeting about Agent Wells?" asked one Regent, who had better things to do.

"I have it in my book to set aside at least once a month," another said without humor.

"Where are they now?" another asked, wondering why the agent in question was not there.

"They are caught between dimensions," Mrs. Frederic reported the way people say someone is caught in traffic.

"Is there a question about their safety?" a younger Regent asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Frederic said.

"Maybe a little time _away_ from the Warehouse is what Agent Wells needs," suggested one of the sterner Regents.

"Maybe a little time _away_ from herself is what Agent Wells needs," said a Regent who never supported her return.

Adwin Kosan felt the tension rising as one comment fed off another. He put his hand up to make it cease. "Mrs. Frederic, it appears to me that you have made tremendous strides with Agent Wells," he said more for the group's benefit than his guest's. "I would like to hear what you have to say about this latest event."

"Apparently Agent Wells felt in necessary to protect her journals from any intrusion. I do not think she meant this personally, but rather she did not want her works confiscated. As irrational as her fear sounds to us, I do think it might have to do with her original writings being credited to others. She seems very protective of things she deems her own," Mrs. Frederic said empathically. "Therefore, we allowed Agent Wells time to dismantle the device once she told us about it in our initial interview."

"Apparently we gave her too much time," a particularly snarky Regent asked.

If Helena could have witnessed this meeting, she would never have doubted again who was really on her side. Mr. Kosan listened to what his fellow Regents had to say, but turned his attention back to the woman he trusted the most in these matters.

"And Agent Bering?" he asked wondering why everyone assumed only Helena was culpable.

"I am unclear as of yet what part, if any, Agent Bering had in this. Agent Nielsen reported that Agent Bering followed Agent Wells into the room and shut the door. Apparently, this is what started the countdown. Attempts to shut down the mechanism from the Warehouse failed and the device seems to have gone off, causing the room to become suspended in a space- time continuum," Mrs. Frederic reported.

"Have you given any thought to what damage this action could cause to the Warehouse? " an Agent asked from the back.

"My concern is for my agents as well as the Warehouse. The damage to the Warehouse will be minimal. Unfortunately, we have dealt with internal explosions before and we have taken every precaution against them," Irene reminded them.

"I think it would be wise to leave this matter in Mrs. Frederic's hands for now. I trust you will take appropriate action with Agents Bering and Wells when you know more?" Mr. Kosan asked.

"If it's the last thing I do," Mrs. Frederic promised.

* * *

Mrs. Frederic gave a great deal of thought about this matter on her ride back to the Warehouse. The Regents were wrong, she thought. What Helena needed was perhaps _more_ time with the Warehouse and _more_ time with herself. Ordinary consequences did not seem to work with Helena.

She went back to the inner Warehouse and asked Artie for an update. He reported that there was a spike in electrical activity coming from the Personnel Quarter Archive.

"They are trying to get back," the Sage said looking through the blinds out onto the Warehouse. "And in case they make it, I think we should be there to greet them," she said almost too calmly for Pete and Claudia.

* * *

Helena opened up the door slowly and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the Warehouse on the other side.

"Oh thank God, Helena. You did it," Myka said relieved.

"You certainly have," Mrs. Frederic said from the Warehouse. For a split second, Helena toyed with the idea of closing that door, but she knew she had to face what was coming. Including that look on her boss' face that clearly read – _don't you dare_.

By the time they stepped into the room, Claudia, Pete, and Artie were rushing toward them. Helena had expected that they would hurry toward Myka and so she stepped aside, but Pete grabbed the Brit first, much to her pleasant surprise.

"Oh God, HG – I really thought you guys were…. gone," Pete said holding her in a tight grip. Helena was amazed at how good that felt.

Claudia was hugging Myka, but melted into a sob when she realized just how scared she had been. Myka enveloped her in comforting arms. Claudia regained her composure long enough to let Myka go and rush to HG. She hugged her too, but she could feel her anger in that squeeze. So could Helena. She felt badly that Claudia couldn't look her in the eye- a sign that the anger was still there, but she was not ready to face it.

Artie's expression said it all – the relief was plain as day. "Glad you're both okay," he said choking up just a little.

The discussion erupted all at one – each of them asking questions and HG and Myka answering. There was a general excitement until Mrs. Frederic cleared her throat reminding them of the gravity of the situation. Helena stepped closer to her - knowing she had to answer for this.

"Mrs. Frederic, I know you are …," HG started, but the Sage raised her hand swiftly.

"Do not- for a minute Agent Wells- assume you know anything," Mrs. Frederic said harshly.

No one liked the tone in their boss' voice and each one of them recoiled - except Helena. She never backed down especially when she knew she was in the wrong.

"You and Agent Bering….," Mrs. Frederic started and HG made her second mistake.

"Agent Bering had nothing to do with this," HG said stepping in between the Sage and Myka.

Mrs. Frederic delivered a cold stare, but HG didn't move.

"Was she in the room with you, Agent Wells?" Mrs. Frederic said giving HG what little latitude she could muster.

"Mrs. Frederic, I closed the door…," Myka said, but HG cut her off.

"That was my device. I take full responsibility for what happened," HG said gallantly.

"Oh believe me, Agent Wells, you are going to bear the full brunt," Mrs. Frederic said, her eyes locked so hard on HG that it make her swallow.

"Helena, I closed the door," Myka said – somehow still surprised that Helena would be so stubborn.

"You closed it because you were following me," HG reminded her, turning away from her boss.

"Really, Helena? You're going to compete with me about the punishment, too? " Myka said. "You have to be the best at everything don't you?"

"Myka, I am simply trying to profess to your innocence in this," HG said, getting annoyed Myka was not appreciating her efforts.

"My innocence? What am I five? Mrs. Frederic, not only did I cause the action that commenced the security breach on Helena's room, I – against Agent Wells' strict orders – parleyed with the past," Myka said smugly.

"What did she do?" Pete asked unsure of Myka's demeanor and message.

"She's about to get herself killed. Got back all this way - to get herself killed," Claudia said through clenched teeth.

"Myka!" Helena scolded her for being ridiculous. In HG's mind, one person could take all the blame and that would be the end of it.

"Would you like to explain yourself, Agent Bering?" Mrs. Frederic asked.

"Yes I would," Myka said stepping in front of Helena. "When Agent Wells and I found ourselves back in London…,"

"London?" Artie shouted.

"But how…" Claudia asked.

"How? Ask the brilliant time traveler. She sent her room back to London in the 1880's and I had tea with her mother!" Myka said – almost proudly. "Who by the way, thinks you have an issue with your temper. She called it s_piritedness _Helena, but we both know she meant ….," Myka rambled on.

"Agent Bering!" Mrs. Frederic said to get her back on track.

"Sorry, Mrs. Frederic. Yes, we apparently went back in time and while we were there, Agent Wells told me not to talk with anyone, but I did. I talked to her mother and to … Agent Wells …..before she was Agent Wells," Myka explained and for the first time took note of how this all sounded.

"Oh brother," Artie said, putting his hands over his face.

"So I share equally in the blame with Agent Wells," Myka said finally.

"Oh there will be more than enough to go around," Mrs. Frederic assured Myka.

Myka felt triumphant until she realized what it was that she had just accomplished.

"Brilliant," Helena whispered to her. "Mrs. Frederic, what my _esteemed colleague_ is trying to say," HG attempted to take the focus back.

"Your _esteemed colleague_ has made herself perfectly clear and does not need you to interpret!" Myka snapped.

Helena had just about enough of this. Unfortunately, so had Mrs. Frederic and when Helena turned to correct Myka, she stopped them both.

* * *

"I would like to know what caused this in the beginning. Why were you suddenly so concerned about your journals, Agent Wells?" Mrs. Frederic asked and now was sorry she hadn't asked them all to sit down in the library. Her feet were killing her.

"I was actually adding a journal to my collection," Helena reported truthfully.

"And why was that?" the Sage asked.

"Because I had been accused falsely by Agent Bering that morning and I was seeking retribution," HG said.

"And what were you accused of?" asked Mrs. Frederic. "High treason? "

Myka could see what was happening even if her _esteemed colleague_ could not.

"Agent Bering accused me of experimenting with her," HG reported, not listening to the groan behind her.

"_Helena_," Myka called out angrily, but went unheard.

"I really do think you're missing the point here, Mrs. Frederic. I believe my actions might have just proven that time travel is possible on some level and …," HG said boldly.

"_Missing the point_? Did she just tell Mrs. Frederic she thought she was _missing the point_," Artie groaned unable to contain himself.

"I'll go get a body bag," Pete said, but couldn't move because Claudia was clenching his arm.

Mrs. Frederic took a step closer to Helena. "Bear with me just a moment, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic implored and only HG thought she meant it.

"What was happening that Agent Bering accused you …falsely of course …. of experimenting with her?" the Sage inquired.

Myka stood there amazed that Helena could not see the train barreling down the tracks and heading straight for her. _How thickheaded could someone be_? Myka was about to find out. In Helena's mind, all these ancillary questions were a waste. She would answer them since Mrs. Frederic was being so polite, but she really wanted to get back to the issue of what had just transpired.

"It was a … eh….how shall I put this?" HG said finally realizing the delicate nature of the topic.

"Oh just say it, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic encouraged her because she sensed she was at the kernel of truth in all of this.

"For the love of God, Helena," Myka said covering her face, unable to look the Sage in the eye.

If there was a single clock in the Warehouse, anywhere in the Warehouse, the ticking would have been heard for in the single moment, there was not a sound. The only movement was the pressure building in Helena as her patience with this inquiry dwindled.

She ached -body and soul - to get back to the real issue which she felt was being ignored.

"Mrs. Frederic, do you not see that we may have actually traveled back in time?" Helena tried.

"What happened in the morning, Agent Wells?" Mrs. Frederic said again and HG lost it.

"I failed in my duties as a lover!" Helena finally said angrily.

Artie covered his ears. Claudia turned to look at Myka who was stunned. Pete was the only one who took this declaration as anything positive.

"So no explosions in the bedroom - so you tried to blow up your bedroom?" Pete couldn't help, but let out and Helena turned to glare at him.

"How dare you!" HG blurted out and would have moved towards her offender if he hadn't retreated behind Artie.

"Now I'm going to kill you," Myka said under her breath.

"Kill me? You can't be serious. I just made the trip of a lifetime possible for you. You have done what only poets and scientists dream of, Myka. You traveled through time," HG said amazed that everyone here was missing the point.

More than anyone there, Myka detected the sound of exhilaration in Helena's voice. She was after all, a brilliant scientist at heart, and Myka understood what an amazing feat this was for her.

"Tell me Agent Wells, exactly how did you travel back through time?" Mrs. Frederic asked. It brought Helena back to the reality that she didn't know. That didn't stop her from answering.

"I have only been able to make rudimentary calculations, but I believe the propulsion caused the room to return to its point of origin and took us with it. I need to start immediately to work on ….," HG started because there was a great deal of work to be done.

Mrs. Frederic put her hand up once more to stop the Brit. "I don't think so," was all she said.

"Pardon me?" Helena asked certain she misunderstood her boss.

"You may write up a full report of what has happened here today, and I look forward to reading it, but you will not conduct any research or do anything further until I say so," Mrs. Frederic said.

"But surely you don't want me to do mundane inventory when I could be discovering the principles of time travel….again?" HG asked shocked.

"Oh I wouldn't dream of having you do mundane inventory, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic said earnestly and then turned to Artie. "Arthur, please do not assign Agent Wells any inventory work until I give you further notice."

Artie knew that tone all too well. "Of course," he agreed.

"Wait? How come she gets to…," Pete complained.

"Agent Wells is going to be too busy to do inventory work or anything else, Pete," Mrs. Frederic answered.

"What could possibly be more important than conducting research on what has transpired here?" HG asked astonished.

"Nothing," Mrs. Frederic said.

"Yes! Nothing! Finally, we agree," HG said letting out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Agent Wells – until I say otherwise – you will be doing - _nothing_. You will come to the Warehouse and do – _nothing_. You will not do inventory, you will not do research. You will do -_ nothing_," Mrs. Frederic explained. Helena stood there, her mouth agape.

"Now Agent Donovan, I would like to review with you from a technical point what you think might have happened here," the Sage said taking a nervous Claudia by the shoulder and walking away.

"Mrs. Frederic, with all due respect I don't think HG wants me to speculate about things. It will drive her crazy …." Claudia said trying to look back at HG.

"Yes, I know," Mrs. Frederic said holding tightly onto the younger agent.

* * *

**Many thanks for reading along. **  
**I promise not to make the focus about yet another HG consequence entirely.**


	7. Clueless

Thanks for reading along. Your comments and ideas are always appreciated and a big help.  
Know they take time, so thanks.

* * *

** Chapter Seven** **Clueless **

"**Lovers and madmen have such seething brains. Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend. More than cool reason ever comprehends." ― ****William Shakespeare****, **_**A Midsummer Night's Dream**_

* * *

Myka knew what was going on and she anticipated the next action as well. She put her hand gently on HG's arm, but the Brit brushed her off. Usually Myka's calmness prevailed, but not today.

"You can't be bloody serious!" she called after her boss.

Even Artie knew he had to intervene. "Agent Wells! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to clean up a body that has just exploded?" His question was well intended and accurate, but unfortunately lost on the Brit.

"Mrs. Frederic!" Helena called and finally got the older woman to stop – unfortunately.

Claudia didn't like being so close to the powerhouse when someone was provoking her. '_Please let go of me before you turn around, please let go of me before you turn around_,' Claudia kept saying in her head, but suddenly she was facing HG.

"Please don't kill her," Claudia whispered out of the side of her mouth to the Sage.

"Don't worry Claudia. I won't do anything worse than Agent Wells will do to herself," she assured the young agent.

"I beg your pardon Mrs. Frederic, and trust me when I say – that I say this with all due respect, but you cannot _possibly _expect me to sit idly by while there are theories to test and trial runs to make and calculations to be made," HG stammered.

"Believe me Agent Wells, I am very tempted to allow you to go back into that room, reset that clock and take our chances right now," Mrs. Frederic said. "But that would not be prudent of me. No, as enticing as that is, Agent Wells – and trust me when I say it is enticing - I will not allow it. Now go home and rest. My sense is that you're going to need all the energy you can get."

"Energy? Energy for what? You have ordained it for me to do nothing – any fool can do nothing," HG protested.

"Then as usual Agent Wells, I expect great things from you," the Sage said taking her second leave.

* * *

This was typically where Myka comforted Helena, but not today. In fact, it was Artie who came to her rescue. "So help me, Helena, say another word and I will shoot you with this Tesla," he said aiming the gun at her.

"The world has gone mad. I have come back to an insane time," HG said throwing her hands up in the air.

"Must be tough," Myka said cynically.

"You have no idea," HG said missing the tone.

Myka turned away in exasperation and asked Artie; "Now what?"

"Well, I think we should talk about what happened. Do you think …you, …..you know, traveled back in time?" Artie asked Myka cautiously.

"Oh bloody hell!" HG cried out. "Of course she does. She was there! She saw my father, she had bloody tea with my mother and she kissed me!"

Myka knew Helena was out of control and that it what she needed was a great deal of soothing, but…..

"What? What did you say?" Myka turned to HG and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I am trying to explain that of course you do. How else would you have seen my father or spoken to my mother?" HG said unsure of why Myka was questioning her.

"No, that last part … the part about…," Myka prompted her.

"About you kissing me?" HG asked and Myka nodded her head.

"Helena, I never told you that I kissed you," Myka said excited.

"No, I know," HG said slowly.

"But you just said I did. How would you have known that - if I didn't tell you?" Myka asked. Myka was thrilled that she was the one to find the first clue – the first anomaly – in this event.

"Myka darling, it seemed rather elementary to me," HG said.

"What?" Myka asked.

Helena looked over at Artie and Pete, as if suddenly aware of their presence. She raised her eyebrows to Myka as if trying to convey her message telepathically. Then suddenly it hit Myka.

"You _assumed_ I kissed you? You just _assumed_ that no matter what the time period, under any circumstances, I would just kiss you? Is that what you're telling me?" Myka asked still holding onto HG's shoulders.

"It was more of a deduction really," HG said not caring for the unscientific term _assume_.

"A deduction? Really Helena? How did you _deduce _that?" Myka said exasperated.

"Well, you were behaving so poorly in the bedroom towards me, I simply reasoned that when you subdued me in the laboratory, you probably took the opportunity to express your apologies - via affection quietly albeit passively," HG said proud she was right.

"You think I apologized to you?" Myka asked amazed at her lover's boldness.

"Yes," HG stated.

"Myka, did you kiss her?" Pete asked.

"Well yes, but it wasn't an apology!" Myka said shoving her hands in her pockets and casting her eyes down.

"So, HG did you _know it_ know it, or did you _guess it_ know it?" Pete asked confusing even himself.

"Pete darling, I'm s scientist. I never assume. I just know..… Myka," HG said again missing why her partner found this so upsetting.

"You really are something else," Myka said and her tone should have told HG she didn't mean it as a compliment.

"Ladies, I hate to break up this entertainment, but shouldn't we be reviewing all of the details?" Artie pointed out.

"Fine," Myka said.

"Helena, you go with Pete and tell him everything, Myka you come with me. We'll compare notes when we're done," Artie instructed.

Myka welcomed the chance to be apart for a little while. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but Helena was annoying her. It was a rare occurrence indeed for her to lose patience with Helena, and yet it seemed now like everyone else had the patience Myka lacked. Maybe they had disrupted something by visiting the past.

* * *

Myka went into the library and took Artie through the sequence of events from following Helena into her old room, shutting the door, not finding the abort device in the journal to the violent shaking of the room to its apparent landing in the 1880's.

"I mean, Artie – the door opened and there stood a man I had never seen before except for in photos that HG has. He spoke directly to her. He spoke to me. Then when she got on my last nerve, I walked out of that room….," Myka explained.

"She got on your last nerve?" Artie said and his tone was definitely on of '_welcome to my world'_.

"She is so obstinate!" Myka said and then caught the look of '_you don't say'_ on Artie's face.

"Anyway, I walked out of that room and met her mother. Her real life mother," Myka said and she got up from the table. "She was so …nice … I mean, real….she was really nice, Artie," Myka said looking at him.

"When did you meet the _other_ Helena?" Artie asked, taking notes.

"The wire in the clock broke and I went to the basement to get the soldering iron. Helena, well the 1880's Helena, came up behind me," Myka said. "She aimed a gun at me."

"It seems you two are forever destined to meet at gun point," Artie smiled and Myka stared at him intently, as is those words sounded odd coming from him.

"Right, well I subdued her and left her on the couch while I went back upstairs. HG reset the clock and the room returned here," Myka said summarizing the events.

"You felt awake the whole time?" Artie asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, I mean – I think we were," Myka said. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm just wondering if the room shaking so aggressively could have knocked you both unconscious and your dreamt the events?" Artie pondered.

"The same dream?" Myka questioned.

"Well, we'll compare HG's notes to yours, but perhaps you shared the dream?" Artie proposed.

"I don't know, Artie – I felt conscious the whole time," Myka said.

"We'll consider all the possibilities, " Artie said as he wrote everything down.

* * *

Pete was having less success with Helena who wanted to rant about Myka rather than the details of the morning.

"She is so stubborn! She simply cannot seem to control her temper. I don't know what has gotten into her," HG mused.

"Maybe it was the …. You know….the … lack of _getting her groove on_," Pete said trying to convey what he considered to be the issue.

"Her groove? How does one get one's _groove on_, Mr. Lattimer?" HG asked confused by the idiom.

"I'm just saying maybe your lack of technique left her a little edgy. Nothing took off in the bedroom before the other bedroom took off, right?" Pete said tapping the pen on the pad, thinking this summed up everything. Pete detested paperwork even when it wasn't his own. Helena glared at him.

"It's ok, HG. You can't expect to hit the target every time …. or so I've heard," Pete said not wanting to be considered a member of that group.

"Mr. Lattimer, I am not entirely sure I understand, but let me assure you - when it comes to hitting my target, I am a expert marksman, " HG said clearly.

"Yeah, and yet there was no …..," Pete said making the explosion sound again.

"Have you written down a single thing for this report?" HG yelled at him.

Pete looked at the blank paper. "Wait, you want me tell them you didn't help Myka reach … you know," Pete asked making the noise again. "I don't think we should mention that."

Helena had enough. She groaned and left the office to head back to the B&B. _There, in the solitude of her room is where she would think about what happened and write her notes, _she thought.

* * *

The four agents met back in the Warehouse office.

"I am going home," HG announced. "Apparently, doing nothing requires a lot of energy. Since I am so unfamiliar with this equation, perhaps you could confirm this for me, Pete?"

"Helena!" Myka said sternly for what she thought was an uncalled for shot.

"Sorry," Helena apologized.

"Oh I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary," Myka said in a low voice, but so HG could hear.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest. We'll wait to hear from Mrs. Frederic about our next move," Artie said.

Myka and Helena walked out of the Warehouse to their car and headed home. Myka truly felt sorry for HG because she knew how anxious she was to work on everything that just happened.

"Do you think we traveled back through time, Helena?" Myka asked as she drove them back to the B&B.

"I cannot yet explain the phenomenon, Myka, but it would appear that the event altered our reality in some way. I know from my previous trials that returning to another place in time seemed impossible, and the closest I came was inhabiting someone's consciousness for a specific period of time. But we were there, Myka, as ourselves. I am just not sure yet where _'there'_ was. It is ridiculous that someone would thwart me from discovering the truth. I do not understand it, and truthfully cannot abide by it," HG started to rant as she got out of the car.

"Helena, just because you feel ready to take on the world, doesn't mean you have to," Myka said exhausted more from her time with Helena than from her journey.

"Not the world, Myka. Just Mrs. Frederic," HG said walking into the B&B.

"You'd have a better chance taking on the world," Myka said walking behind her.


	8. Taking Flight

**Thank you for your posts and thoughts. Know they take time so I do appreciate them. **

* * *

**Chapter Eight Taking Flight**

"**All really great lovers are articulate, and verbal seduction is the surest road to actual seduction." ****Marya Mannes**

* * *

"Why won't you support me on this, Myka? You know what happened. You know how important it is that we figure this out," HG said turning to face Myka on the porch.

"Helena, it's not _what _you want to do that I don't support. I know we need to figure out what happened to us. It's _how_ you're going about it – as usual – that I don't support," Myka explained.

"We're talking about time travel and you're worried about hurting someone's feeling?" HG asked.

"You're not just a brilliant scientist and inventor - anymore, Helena. You're part of the Warehouse team – and one of the things you signed up for when you _begged _them to take you back was being part of that group," Myka said slowly.

"But what I do _is_ for the Warehouse," HG said defensively.

"Is it Helena?" Myka asked.

She didn't mean to sound so direct, but someone had to ask HG the tough questions_. Maybe it should have been Mrs. Frederic._ Those words coming from Myka stung the Brit. In fact, Helena could not remember harsher words from Myka. She pulled back and the hurt expression on her face showed how she was interpreting Myka's words.

"You think that I am being selfish because I want to pursue one of the greatest singularities in the universe? Think of the possibilities, Myka," HG said and the injury was evident in her voice.

"Not that you _want _to do it, Helena, but the _way_ you are going about it," Myka said again.

In spite of the genius' ability to look at a problem from all different angles, when it came to emotions, Helena was black and white. Myka was not agreeing with her, therefore she wasn't on her side – period.

The drone failure was frustrating, having to fight Mrs. Frederic was difficult, but Myka rejecting her was beyond them both. Helena couldn't remember the last time she felt such pain in her chest. Emotions were rushing at her, and there was no way she could allow herself to be that vulnerable now.

"I thought the whole purpose of being part of a team Myka, was to see things through _together_," HG said and she wasn't referring to the Warehouse.

"Helena, of course …," Myka said realizing how HG took her words. She reached out but Helena withdrew sharply, which genuinely surprised Myka. "That's not how I meant it….," Myka said, but Helena was too hurt to hear her.

HG stormed off the porch to the car. Myka held onto the key tight, reminding herself that she had it and that perhaps Helena just wanted to cool off for a minute. Then she heard the engine start. Myka smacked herself in the forehead.

"_Really, Myka? Did you really think she wouldn't know how to start the stupid car without the stupid key_?" she admonished herself.

This day was going from bad to worse.

Then a thought – a horrible thought – crossed Myka's mind. Had she pushed Helena too hard? She watched as Helena took off down the driveway and off in the direction of the Warehouse. She scrambled for the other car, prayed Pete left the key because she did not have her lover's gift for hotwiring a vehicle. She found the key in the ignition – and was never so grateful for Pete's bad habit. She sped after Helena.

* * *

HG made good time getting back to the Warehouse and into the inner sanctum, primarily because she paid no attention to the speed limit. Myka was more cautious, and by the time she got downstairs, HG was nowhere in sight. Her heart raced and her breath quickened as she considered the possibility that HG was returning to her room. She regretted every single word she had said to Helena that day. Her thoughts vacillated from thinking how sorry she was to wanting to shake sense into HG.

Myka reached the Personnel Quarters Archive and pressed HG's code, but nothing happened.

"Helena?" Myka yelled out. "Helena! I'm sorry. Please Helena, don't do this. Don't be so hell bent on doing what you want," Myka yelled through the outside door. No answer. Myka pounded on the door and shook the handle but nothing.

"Helena, open this door. Please Helena, don't leave. I am sorry for being such a jerk. I don't know – I just felt – you are so stubborn, Helena! When you get a thought in your head and want to act on it, I can't talk you out of it. I got annoyed - like this morning - you won't listen to reason. Helena, please listen to reason now," Myka said through the door.

She listened – but there was no sound. "Helena, please!" she pleaded through the door, allowing her head to gently bang against the wood.

"I accept you apology," Myka heard HG say close by. In fact, she thought it was from the other side of the door.

"Oh thank God, Helena. I thought you were …open the door, Helena," Myka said rattling the doorknob.

"What door?" Helena asked.

"OK, enough games, Helena. Please. I chased you all the way back because I was afraid you were going to lose that stupid temper of yours again. So please. Just open ….," Myka said relieved.

"Games? You hurt my feelings and you think I am playing games?" HG said a little louder.

"What? No, I didn't mean games," Myka said. '_Oh no, not another twist of my words, no you don't_,' she thought as she took a step back from the door.

"Helena, if you do not open this door by the time I count to three," she warned. Silence. _God, this woman was maddening. _

"One," Myka said wondering what her options were really. Blast the door? She didn't bring her Tesla.

"Two," Myka said with less confidence. _Please Helena, open the damn door_, she thought.

Suddenly, HG's arm appeared to her side and pressed the four digit code into the box. The familiar clanking of gears happened as the room took its position on the other side of the door. Myka swung around to face Helena.

"But I heard you," Myka said pointing to the door.

"Whispering gallery?" HG said, knowing she had fooled Myka the whole time. The door snapped open behind Myka.

"I assumed you were….," Myka said sheepishly.

"That's why I never _assume_, Myka," HG said moving into her space.

"Because I made an ass out of you and me," Myka said knowing the punch line.

"Not of I, Myka. No, I daresay you were alone in that venture," HG said devilishly.

"Ha ha," Myka said smiling at HG's joke. _It was a joke right? _

Then an idea was born in the genius' brain. Myka had apologized and seemed calmer. There was a room with a bed right there. She invaded Myka's space and walked her backwards into the room.

"Did you really think I would come back into this room and take off?" HG asked slowly as her mouth kissed Myka's jawline.

"Helena, I was scared. I'm sorry – it's just that I don't know what you're capable of when you're pushed, and I know I pushed you," Myka said.

Helena loved it when Myka apologized. She loved it when Myka admitted she wasn't sure about HG because she liked being a mystery – even though in reality – she was an open book for Myka.

"I…didn't … know….what…to …. think," Myka confessed as she wrestled with whether this was a good idea. "Please put something in that door," she said not wanting a repeat.

"Good idea," Helena said, kicking off her boot and placing it there. She resumed her job of undressing Myka.

"Are you sure?" Myka asked falling back on the bed. The room was still strewn with books and objects, but nothing seemed to deter the Brit. She pushed things out of her way as she glided up onto Myka and whispered in her ear; "I've never been surer."

There was something about having her brilliant partner reassure her that Myka found utterly appealing. Helena acted with her usual air of confidence -she had enough for both of them. She allowed her leg to slowly pull up over Myka, setting off nerve endings.

"I want to be with you for eternity, Myka," she said softly in Myka's ear.

"Me too, Helena. I want to be with you always," Myka said back as her back arched.

Helena's ministrations made Myka's body remember where it had been left that morning and it was as if it had been waiting the whole day. Her flesh responded immediately – picking up practically where Helena left off. Every fiber of Myka ached for Helena to be this close. Her heart and soul just wanted to hold onto Helena tightly, but her body gave over to the one person it trusted more than anyone. In Helena's hands, Myka's whole being knew she was safe.

"I'm sorry…," Myka started to say, but Helena covered her mouth with soft lips.

"We are not perfect, Myka. Only perfect for each other," HG said and Myka surrounded her in a tight hug.

"And now," HG said mischievously, "I want to take you somewhere."

When Helena's voice became husky and low, it melted Myka into a pool of wanting nerve endings. She drank in Helena's perfume as her body surrendered to Helena's touch. Myka lost herself in that careful stroking and hands flung out to grasp the bedding holding on for the second trip she was about to make in that room.

"Helena, God please, yes," Myka cried out as tensions mounted and HG knew when to cut short their release. The Time Traveler was all about timing and she knew Myka's body well enough to administer a rhythm that sent Myka as high as possible before pushing her into multiple cries and calls to her deity.

* * *

When Claudia heard Myka and HG arguing on the porch, she signaled Pete to come immediately. She wasn't sure what to do, but she knew she wanted them both where she could see them. The pain of just thinking something happening to either of her friends still lingered in her chest. She had not been able to look Helena in the eyes yet because she was still seething. Then she realized Myka had a hand in this, but found it harder to be angry with Myka. _Why was that_, she wondered.

Pete ran out onto the porch in time to see Myka following HG in the car. They bolted to the SUV in pursuit. Artie insisted on coming or they would have been close behind. Once in the Warehouse, Pete and Claudia headed onto the floor while Artie checked the monitor for activity. Last reading – Personnel Quarters Achieves.

"Damn, isn't this how we started today?" he murmured as he got Claudia on the Farnsworth. "Call me when you find them," he ordered and collapsed in his chair again. Minutes passed, but for Artie it seemed to be taking too long. He called them back.

"Where the heck are you?" he asked Pete because he could tell them were standing still in an aisle. "You're nowhere near the PQA," he yelled when Pete opened his mouth and nothing came out.

"We're … uhm….. close….," Pete stammered.

"What is that? Where is Claudia?" Artie asked suspiciously. _Why was Pete making such an awkward face?_

"She's ….uhm…. here," Pete said and Claudia peeked from behind him.

"Hey," she said as she refused to look directly into the screen.

"What is going on with you two? Did you find them?" Artie asked annoyed.

"Oh yes, yes we did," Pete said, his smile disappearing as fast as it came.

"_Oh God Myka. Myka_!" Helena screamed and filled their space. '_Yes, yes, yes Myka_!"

"What is going on? Are they coming?" Artie asked and of course he meant as in _moving toward his office_.

"Oh that's an affirmative," Pete said swallowing hard.

"Well can I please speak to one of them?" Artie asked because he did not hear the echoes off the parabolic dishes that provided Pete and Claudia 'ear shot' range to the bedroom.

"Artie, they're not exactly here," Pete said and Artie raised his voice: "Get them there now!"

* * *

Pete felt like he was caught in a nasty web of moans and screams.

"If we can hear them, Pete, then maybe they can hear us," Claudia whispered.

"What does she mean?" Artie asked loudly.

"Oh Myka, oh HG," Pete called up to the ceiling.

The device that Helena installed was working perfectly. They heard Pete's voice come through the door and it made both of them jump.

"Oh bloody hell," HG said grabbing her clothes to get dressed.

"Helena, how is it that we can hear them? Oh my God Helena. If we can hear them, do you think," Myka said, her face exploding in blush.

"Ah Myka, yes we can," Pete said hoping the two of them would shut up.

"You're coming in loud and clear," Claudia said and Pete lost in over the phrase.

He dropped the Farnsworth as he and Claudia erupted into laughter over their own joke.

* * *

**I love that someone pointed out that I should address how HG felt about not being able to leave the room.**  
**Anything else before I wrap this up? **


	9. Timing is Everything

**Chapter Nine Timing is Everything **

**"Know that love is truly timeless." Mary M. Ricksen**

* * *

"Oh you deserve props, come here," Pete said doing a high-five, bump chest, and a pat on the back all in succession. He had tears in his eyes and was still laughing when Helena rounded the corner and stood there, glaring. Under normal circumstances, this look would have scared Pete – just a little.

"Mr. Lattimer!" Helena said with the tone of a middle school teacher.

Just then, the Farnsworth buzzed on the floor and caught their attention.

"That's gonna be for you," Pete said, wiping a tear from his eye. He simply could not control himself.

"Helena?" Myka called coming around the corner. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Pete and Claudia. Hands went into her pockets, eyes cast down momentarily while she collected herself. This was _so_ embarrassing.

"Somebody should get that," Claudia said, biting her lip to stop the laughter bubbling inside from escaping. It was like trying not to laugh in church. She wouldn't dare look at Pete who had even less control.

Helena growled and picked up the Farnsworth and opened it to see Artie's nostrils flaring.

"Would you mind telling me what is going on down there?" Artie bellowed from the device.

"How the bloody hell would I know?" came the equally snarky response.

"Agent Wells! Would you care to share what it was that you were doing?" Artie asked out of patience.

Now usually the Brit had an answer for everything, but this time the circumstances of being discovered -by means of her own invention no less, had her a little off her mark. Even Pete saw the hesitation. He pointed up to the ceiling and tugged on his ear in an attempt to help out. HG finally got it.

"We were testing the whispering gallery devices," she finally said to Artie.

"Really? Are they operational now?" he asked getting side tracked.

"You can hear every word," Pete blurted out and then collapsed into the laughter he had been suppressing.

That was all Claudia needed, and she let go of her cries of hilarity, too. Myka just covered her face, moaned out loud, and slid down onto the floor.

Artie had no idea what was transpiring and HG's answer sounded plausible, but didn't explain why the two of them went racing off in separate cars to the Warehouse.

"What Agent Lattimer means…..," HG started to say, but realized she didn't want to share that.

"Come again, Agent Wells?" he asked calmly into the device.

Pete and Claudia lost it – they held onto each other as they let loose everything they found funny about that question.

"I cannot begin to explain Pete nor Claudia's behavior," HG said stalling.

"Do you think you could all manage to come back up here?" Artie said slamming the Farnsworth closed.

* * *

No one said a word. In those few moments it took to get back, Pete and Claudia managed to regain composure long enough to follow HG and Myka. Myka was mortified, but grateful that not _everyone _knew what was going on. The trip to the office could not go fast enough and she swore she could hear her friends giggling behind her.

"Uhm ladies," Pete said as he followed them up the stairs.

"Now what is it, Pete? One more joke before we go in? One more innuendo to embarrass me?" Myka said exasperated.

"Gee no, Mykes. I was just going to point out that you're both wearing the same pair of boots," he said honestly.

Myka's head shot down –in her haste, she had put on one of HG's and one of her own. Helena had grabbed the opposite pair.

"Oh for bloody sake," Myka yelled as she undid one boot and gave it to HG. They swapped shoes and walked into the office. Artie couldn't imagine what was keeping them and stared at them when they made their appearance.

* * *

"Now would someone tell me what we're all doing back here?" he asked looking at anyone for an answer.

Myka detested the silence. It weighed on her more than the others and she caved first. "Helena and I had words and I followed her back here to talk about it," Myka explained.

"Isn't that _exactly_ how we started this day?" Artie pointed out sharply. "And while you were here, you decided to check the whispering gallery devices?" he asked HG.

"That was an ingenious device," Pete said biting his lip. "Top notch, HG." He bit down on his knuckle to contain the laugh.

Artie didn't wait for Helena's response. He had heard enough. "OK you two can wait here," he said to HG and Myka. "Let's go," he said jerking his head to the others.

"But….," Pete said because he had just thought up several more lines.

"Do you want to be here when Mrs. Frederic returns?" Artie asked, and Claudia and Pete raced for the door.

"She was going to meet us at the house, but then you two took a detour back here, so she's on her way," Artie said.

"What's to discuss when someone has you doing _nothing_?" HG said out loud.

"What makes you think it's going to be a _discussion_?" Artie asked. He started toward the door and then turned back.

"We're not done here by the way," he said and only Myka found that upsetting.

* * *

"What does that mean?" Myka asked after he left.

"What does what mean?" HG asked looking at the computer. Perhaps she could just get some data from the system while she was waiting.

"What Artie said – _we're not done here by the way_ – what did that mean?" Myka worried.

"No idea, nor do I care," HG said honestly as she pressed keys to access a database that would give her readings of what happened in the Personnel Quarter Archive.

"I wish I had your endurance for trouble," Myka said sitting next to HG.

"Try getting in some once in a while," HG teased.

"Hey, I get in trouble. I'm in it now," Myka said trying to watch what HG was doing at the computer.

"Yes, you are Agent Bering," Mrs. Frederic said and only Myka jumped, "Although your record is nowhere near that of Agent Wells," she added. Helena didn't flinch. _Nerves of steel_, Myka thought when she noticed.

"Did my definition of _nothing_ escape you, Agent Wells?" the Sage asked.

"No Mrs. Frederic," HG said.

"Agent Wells, I am not in the habit of handing out consequences for infractions that won't give my agents an opportunity to learn something from them," the older woman said.

"Mrs. Frederic, you must understand the magnitude of the issue we are dealing with. We both believe we traveled through time – and we must explore the event ….," HG tried again.

"Oh I do understand perfectly. It is not that you want to do it that I have trouble with Agent Wells. No, it is the way you are going about it," Mrs. Frederic said and her words sounded very familiar to Helena.

Myka noticed the similarity in them to her own, but wasn't sure she was comforted by that fact.

"Why is everyone so concerned with bloody protocol?" HG said exasperated.

It was the wrong question and Myka cringed when she saw the expression on her boss' face. In true _fight or flight_ fashion, she didn't know if she wanted to step in between and protect HG, or grab her and run. She did neither – but said;

"Mrs. Frederic, think about this from Helena's perspective for a moment, please. She spent years trying to discover if time travel was possible, and came closer than anyone we know. To rekindle that hope again today was amazing. You can understand why she's pressing to follow through, yes?" Myka said calmly.

"Thank you Agent Bering, for the insightful albeit unsolicited analysis," Mrs. Frederic said without expression. Myka took a step back.

"She is being a team player, something we encourage around here, no?" HG asked because no one made Myka uncomfortable in her book.

"Let me take a few minutes that I actually do not have to explain to you both what I am doing, even though it should be perfectly clear," Mrs. Frederic said and sat down.

Now Myka was really worried. Story time with the Sage was bound to be unpleasant.

"Let's say one day there is a ping, and the signal comes in from New York. Thousands of lives are at stake, and we are a plane ride away from helping them. There's an artifact involved and the other agencies need our help. We need every available agent. Artie orders the team to New York and off they go. All except one, because she is on the threshold of a breakthrough. She believes she is about to discover that she could get to New York ahead of the rest of the team. She proceeds and gets there, but because she is one person, she is unable to get the artifact. She dies with the other innocent citizens. The other scenario is that while she is here still trying to figure it out, the team arrives in New York, but because they are one person short, they fail in their mission, and innocent lives are lost," Mrs. Frederic relayed and then asked, "Do you see my point?"

Myka listened intently, but the Inventor was a step ahead, as usual.

"Or there is another scenario! She travels forward in time to New York ahead of the team, locates the artifact, and saves them valuable time so that when they get there, they get the device and save everyone," HG said because she felt the Sage was making up the story to suit her point.

Unfortunately, Helena had missed the point.

Myka could tell immediately what had happened. She involuntarily shook her head at Helena, but it was too late.

"Agent Wells, the team was _ordered _to go," Mrs. Frederic said giving Helena the correct answer.

"Oh, yes," HG said slowly realizing she had missed the point. She got it now.

"I would like you to write up your report for me about this event. I will review it with the Regents and we will make the decision about if and when you can commence your work. Is that understood Agent Wells?" her boss asked.

"Yes ma'am," Helena said.

Myka smiled because she felt there was hope that HG could get the approval to work on this.

"And do you know what happens after you give me that report?" Mrs. Frederic asked.

Helena was afraid of giving an incorrect answer and so she said something she rarely said in life – ever.

"No, I don't."

"Nothing - Agent Wells, you do nothing," Mrs. Frederic reminded her as she took her leave, but not before waving her hand at the computer and shutting it down.

* * *

Helena waited until she was out of earshot before she complained – "Bloody nothing."

"Helena, look on the bright side. She's asked for your report and she'll bring it to the Regents. They'll support you Helena," Myka said positively.

"Yes I know they will," HG said confidently because in her mind, who wouldn't support a brilliant scientist working on such an incredible phenomenon. "The question is how long will they take?"

"Some things just cannot be rushed," Myka said moving alongside HG.

"Oh yes," Helena said getting Myka's drift. "I believe I just demonstrated that I learned that lesson well. Of course, if you had explained that to me this morning …..," HG said smiling.

"You wouldn't have listened," Myka teased back.

"Are you impugning my integrity, Agent Bering?" Helena feigned annoyance.

"No of course not, Helena," Myka assured her, "I just know you."

"Indeed," HG smiled, falling into Myka's warm embrace.

"Well, let's head back to the B&B. You have a long night of – _nothing_ ahead of you," Myka said walking to the door first.

"Well, perhaps not '_nothing_'," HG said slowly - and then looked around to make sure she was alone.

* * *

**The issue of time travel elongated this story line and complicated things a bit.**  
**If you think I have not used it properly, I hope you will post your ideas. **  
**Many thanks to Xenite who kindly offered her insights in my most confusing moments. **


	10. Changing Time

**This should wrap it up ... it went longer than I expected, but this is where it took me.  
Hope it answers questions or leaves some for a future story.  
You be the judge and as always, thank you for reading along and for posting your thoughts. **

* * *

** Chapter Ten Changing Time**

"**(Wo)Man ... can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should (s)he not hope that ultimately (s)he may be able to stop or accelerate his/her drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turnabout and travel the other way." H.G. WELLS, **_**The Time Machine**_

* * *

It was only twenty-four hours since Mrs. Frederic had imposed Helena's sentencing of nothing and she had received more calls and communications from the rest of the team than she cared to answer. One voice mail was from Leena who begged the woman to release HG from this. "_If she asks me one more time how to do nothing, I will personally shoot her_," the usually nonviolent woman said.

Helena went to Pete who showed her everything he knew about doing nothing, but she simply could not get the gist of it and complained to the others. Then she went to Claudia – but she wanted to talk about _something._

"I simply don't know how to do this _nothing_," HG complained.

"You know, I'm not really sure I'm talking to you," Claudia finally said.

"To me? What possible reason would you have?" HG asked, still concerned about _– nothing_.

"Are you kidding me? I thought you and Myka were …..gone," the younger woman said, tears welling up and embarrassing her.

"Oh dear, I am afraid I had forgotten that. I am ever so sorry I scared you about Myka," HG said sincerely.

"Gawd HG, for someone who is so fraking bright, you say the stupidest things," Claudia said turning around to wipe a tear that fell down her cheek.

"I beg your pardon?" HG asked, genuinely confused.

"Don't you think I was scared about you, too? I wasn't just afraid about Myka. I care about you, too," Claudia said not able to turn around yet.

"Oh, yes I see. I am sorry. I do appreciate that, Claudia," HG said touched by her sentiment.

"Well yeah, but I am still really angry with you. You just put things in place like blowing up your room and then you endanger you and Myka and never think what it means to the rest of us. We matter too, you know," the _wise beyond her years_ agent said.

Helena felt the weight of those words that were being thrust at her. She was guilty of being impulsive and impetuous, and didn't consider what affect her actions might have on the others. She was surprised at the pain in Claudia's voice.

"Indeed, you matter a great deal to me," HG said and pulled Claudia into her arms. "I am so sorry that my activities caused you such concern."

Claudia wanted nothing more to melt into that caress of the woman she admired so, but she was almost as uncomfortable with emotions as her mentor was. The anger melted away, although her concern about HG's methods did not.

"It's okay, HG," Claudia said, but didn't mean totally. It wasn't okay to scare her at all, but at least she told HG how she felt.

* * *

Helena joined the others at the Warehouse, but Artie was afraid to leave her alone in the office since there was so much there for her to occupy herself with. Artie suggested sending her to Washington DC where they were experts at doing nothing, but Mrs. Frederic didn't agree.

"By doing _nothing,_ Agent Wells is keeping the others from doing _anything_," Artie complained to his boss.

"Oh for heaven's sake, put her in the library. I need to read Agent Wells' report, so just a little while longer," his boss said.

Artie didn't care where Helena went, as long as it wasn't alongside him so he sent her down there. HG readily agreed and didn't question how illogical it was. She would pass the time reading is what she thought - until she went to access the books and found the aisles sealed off via a gate that apparently appeared out of nowhere. Then she found the egress locked and so she was truly confined to do nothing. She took out her phone to look at pictures of Myka, but her phone battery died – even though it was fully charged. She finally sat down at the long table and did as she had been instructed – she did _nothing_.

* * *

Her partner was experiencing an opposite reaction outside in the Warehouse. "I should be held just as accountable as Helena," Myka complained to Artie.

"Yes, I know," her boss agreed.

"Well how come Mrs. Frederic doesn't think so? She said I was in trouble, but nothing has happened," Myka complained.

"You really see this as an injustice, don't you?" Artie asked and Myka readily affirmed that she did.

"Does she think I can't take it - because I can take it, I promise you that," Myka ranted.

"Maybe that's why she won't give it to you," Artie suggested and the light bulb went off.

"Oh…..," Myka said, nodding her head. "She knew I wanted to have a share of the consequence, right, and… and…. so she decided that not giving it to me would be worse, right?" Myka said thinking it through. "Oh she is clever," she said biting down hard on a Twizzler.

"Don't worry, Myka. We've cooked up something that should make you very happy," Artie said cryptically.

"Wait, what? What does that mean?" Myka asked.

"All in good time, Myka," her boss said.

* * *

Mrs. Frederic sat in her favorite chair, grateful that the calls and texts had ceased, and that is how she knew Helena was in the library. She opened her report and asked her assistant for a cup of tea. It was a thirty page dossier and it occurred to her that HG was as loquacious in the written word as she was verbally. She had read the factual events that transpired and then read how Helena calculated the mathematics involved. In summation, HG believed that the closure of the room caused a seal to take hold, allowing the pressure to build up so intensely that it produced a very small amount of tachyons particles as a byproduct. She hypothesized that these particles were enough to energize the room to travel through time back to its original physical location. She estimated that they traveled 128 years in the past, based on a date that Myka remembered seeing on a newspaper in the sitting room. Her theory proposed that the time travel machine this time - was the room itself, and the explosion sent it back to the only place it knew. It was perhaps, Helena theorized, a narrow worm hole in space between two points. Of course there were many unanswered questions that Helena went on to list on three and half pages as evidence that her research must continue. HG also offered other suggestions that could dispute time travel took place at all. These theories, too dictated further analysis.

Mrs. Frederic knew when she needed help and she called the only person she thought could assist her with this quandary. She was waiting for the esteemed scholar to arrive. This is why she contained Helena inside the library – so that the rest of the Warehouse team could get things done and she could think in peace.

One of the reasons Mrs. Frederic pursued Helena's findings was because of Helena's summation: _"While there are a great number of questions to be answered, the evidence points to a significant phenomenon and it is the responsibility of __the Warehouse__ to pursue a course of further research._"

_Had Helena learned that she was part of a team first and foremost_? Mrs. Frederic could hope. Finally, her guest arrived and she went to greet him in the living room. After an exchange of hellos, they got down to business.

"Have you had time to read the report I sent you, Professor?" she asked.

"Yes, I have," came the familiar voice back to her.

"And your thoughts?" she inquired?

"You know that I have theorized a great deal about time travel and the paradoxes that surround it," he said.

"Yes I know, which is why I called you," Mrs. Frederic responded.

"I do believe that recent evidence with faster-than- light communication, which by Einstein's theory of relativity is the equivalent to time travel, confirms the possibility of warping space in such a way that would allow time travel to the future. Traveling to the past is froth with paradoxes that cannot be resolved. Of course you know that it is impossible to accelerate an object to the speed of light unless it always moved faster than light. CERN has attempted to produce the hypothetical elementary particles, but results have shown their presence to be unstable," came the distinctive robotic monotone.

"So if an object were encased and energized with these subatomic particles…," Mrs. Frederic asked.

"Are you telling me that the energy for transporting this room may have been _tachyonic_ particles?" he asked, and although there was no inflection, the Sage knew her guest was impressed.

"This is the Warehouse remember, Stephen," his host reminded him.

"Then I propose this - This report by your agent suggests that the room was transported back in time, and that they interacted with people in that time period. Yet, she does not recall any memory of the meeting in the present. The evidence of no memory suggests that it never took place to begin with," the synthesized voice said.

"Yes, I know," Mrs. Frederic said touching a book on her side table. _Perhaps the bronzing had some effect on her memory? _

"I doubt that any further testing will result in duplicating these results, and that perhaps it was a once in a lifetime phenomenon that the energy stretched a tiny wormhole that the room fit through," the man in the wheelchair suggested.

"Perhaps," Mrs. Frederic said and withdrew her hand from the journal having decided not to share its contents.

"You do know we have the brightest people working on this all over the world," her guest said indicating they would be the first to know if such a thing existed.

"Ah, but we have something you do not have, Professor Hawking," the Sage said.

"And what would that be, Mrs. Frederic?" he inquired and saw a rare sight – the Sage smiling when she answered;

"We have HG Wells."

Then the brilliant theoretical physicist thanked his host for sharing the report and asked her to keep him abreast of any further developments.

"Will the Regents allow her to continue?" he asked before he left.

"I do hope so," the Keeper responded.

* * *

Helena woke with a start. Whoever restrained her was swift and the only thing she felt was a pressure to her neck before her legs went out from beneath her. She was surprised at how quickly the woman moved, as if trained in some form of martial arts. She had forgotten to fix the light in her laboratory and so it was very dim, but she swore she would never forget those eyes of the woman who subdued her and laid her on the couch. She couldn't move at the time, but her eyes stared into those pools of green. Now she sat up slowly, smiling at the memory of just how beautiful the woman was. She hesitated for only a minute before she searched to see if anything was taken. Her attention was diverted by the noise coming from upstairs. The door was ajar at the top and she ascended to the first landing. She could hear her parents in the sitting room, but paid little attention to their conversation. Helena wanted to find the trespasser.

"She seems like a very well-bred young woman," Mrs. Wells said.

"She's American - so I doubt that highly," Mr. Wells responded.

"Oh George. I think she might be a good influence on Helena," Mrs. Wells said.

Some time before, Charles had come into the house with several of his friends. He ushered them into the parlor and ran past his parents shouting hello on his way to the kitchen to have the maid prepare them some refreshments. Mrs. Wells loved the sound of laughter and frivolity, but after a short time, Mr. Wells wanted the door to the sitting room shut. She got up to oblige her husband when she caught sight of her daughter emerging from the basement.

"Helena, straighten your hair. We have company," Mrs. Wells said. Helena immediately put her hand to her hair and pushed back the loose strands. Apparently it had come free when she was apprehended. "Come in and say hello to your father," her mother instructed and she did.

"Why don't you invite your American friend Myka to join you?" Mrs. Wells asked Helena.

"Who?" she asked confused.

"Your American friend," her mother repeated.

"You must mean one of Charles' friends, mother," HG said.

"Helena, must you always make everything into a puzzle for us?" her father chastised her.

"Father, I have no idea what you're talking about," HG said truthfully.

"Very well, Helena. Have it your way," Mr. Wells said opening up the paper and resuming his reading. His daughter rarely gave a direct answer to even the simplest question.

"She's a lovely girl, Helena," Mrs. Wells said.

"Who, mother?" HG asked.

"Your American friend, Myka was it?" her mother said pouring tea.

Helena wondered what they were talking about, but her real interest was in finding the woman who was just in her laboratory and had somehow rendered her unconscious.

"Yes, yes she is," HG said agreeably so that she could get away. She excused herself and ran into Charles in the hallway.

"Helena, come meet my friends," Charles said grabbing his sister's hand. "Now remember, you are only to socialize with the women. I have had enough of your _shenanigans_ with my mates."

"_Shenanigans_? Charles, wherever did you get such a word?" HG said declaring it low brow for his vocabulary.

"Isn't it a great word? _Mica_ taught it to me. She's from American and knows all the latest slang," her brother beamed.

"From America you say. Well yes, I'd like a word with your American friend," Helena said meaning she wanted to know why that woman was snooping around.

"Come in then," Charles said and directed his sister to the woman he had been referring to.

Helena swept the length of the room in her long dress and sized up the person she was about to avenge _or_ seduce. The woman's back was to Helena, but she recognized the long pants and jacket. She tapped the taller woman on the shoulder ready to give her a piece of her mind. The woman turned and smiled when she saw Helena. Helena looked into her eyes – they appeared to be a disappointing blue.

"Can I help you?" the woman said in a clear American accent. Helena continued to stare at her eyes – just to make sure. She even leaned up on her toes to get a closer look_. Could they have appeared green in the dark? _

"You didn't happen to find yourself in my laboratory, did you?" HG finally asked. There was something lacking and Helena knew it. Although she had only been with her perpetrator for a few minutes, she felt something she had never felt with another person before. She was not feeling it now.

"I love the way you say _la-bor-a-to-ry_," the American woman said.

"Yes, I am sure that you do," Helena said back as her mind raced to answer _was this the woman_?

"I am Mica Faring," the woman introduced herself and stuck out her hand.

_Americans are so aggressive_, Helena thought, but took her hand anyway. She felt the cool skin - Nothing. _This is the woman her parents must have meant_, HG thought.

"No, it wasn't you," Helena said with absolute certitude. She knew in her heart if this had been than woman, she'd have felt it.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked, intrigued by the shorter woman holding her hand.

"I am, as usual, unmistakable," HG said unapologetically.

"Well, I wish it had been," Mica said sincerely.

"As do I," Helena replied.

She excused herself and went to her bedroom where she wrote in her journal.

* * *

"_Release Agent Wells_," was the cryptic message Mrs. Frederic sent Artie. He sent Myka down to get the library prisoner.

"Was it hard for you, Helena?" Myka asked.

"Doing nothing?" Helena asked confused.

"Not to be able to cross that threshold? To see your father, but not able to interact with your mother?" Myka asked.

"Yes, it was quite a surprise to see him standing there. I would have liked to have spoken to my mother, but of course – I could not," the great scientist sighed.

"I could tell how much she cared about you, Helena," Myka said.

"As I do her," HG smiled. "Affection for loved ones knows no time limits."

"Well, you apparently are released from your sentence," Myka said happily.

"Oh thank the gods, but I daresay I was beginning to get the hang of doing nothing," Helena said. "How many hours was I in here?"

"Oh let's see," Myka said checking her watch. "Almost forty five minutes."

"Well, I don't know about traveling through time, but Mrs. Frederic has discovered a way to slow it down considerably," HG complained.

* * *

The agents walked to the office together, happy that Helena's _time out_ was over. What greeted them was an unusual sight. Pete and Artie were sitting back with serious looks on their faces. Claudia was standing there, waiting for them, arms crossed and looking more like the Sage than herself.

"Agents Bering and Wells? We, the members of the Warehouse Team have deemed your actions careless, selfish and executed with little thought to the rest of the Team. Therefore, we have decided to impose the following consequence. Are you ready to receive it?" Claudia asked in a very serious tone.

"Are you bloody kidding me?" Helena asked because she often found her friends' sense of humor lacking in ….. humor.

"Oh no, we are very serious," Artie said.

"This isn't a joke?" Myka asked.

"No," Pete answered.

The two women looked at each other. "Let's hear it," Myka said and Claudia took a clip board to read from.

"You Agent Wells are going to go to Sioux Falls every Wednesday night for the next six weeks to teach an adult education course to fifty students who have signed up for a course of the "_Father of Science Fiction._" You will stick to the course agenda and follow the syllabus that has been prepared for you. Your success on this assignment will be assessed on these students all receiving a passing grade," Claudia read from her notes. "Any questions?"

"Are you mad?" HG asked her friend.

"No, I am not. I was, but then we talked and we came up with this, so not any more. Any other questions?" Claudia asked.

"Artie?" Myka asked.

"We felt some retribution was in order, Myka and we all decided on this. Although kudos to Agent Donovan for putting this together," he said clapping.

"Well, how bad could it be to teach a course about myself?" HG asked looking on the bright side.

"Uhm, not so fast there HG," Pete said.

"You said it was a course on the "_Father of Science Fiction_" so of course I assumed …,' HG said.

"Agent Wells! You know better than anyone that there is no room for _assuming_," the young agent chastised her mentor.

"Yes, but …," HG started and looked to Myka who shrugged her shoulders.

She understood where this was coming from. She knew how upset their friends were, so she was more accepting of their retribution than Helena.

"Here are you books," Claudia said and handed the Brit a stack of Jules Verne novels.

"_Journey to the Center of the Earth_? _Twenty Thousand bloody Leagues Under the Sea_? Oh, no no no, you cannot be serious? You are mistaken, my dear," HG complained loudly.

"No, we advertised a course on the "_Father of Science Fiction – Jules Verne_" and we got fifty people to sign up," Claudia said plainly.

"They are mistaken, sadly mistaken. I will not teach a course that is lies at the very onset," HG ranted.

"Well, Mrs. Frederic says otherwise," Claudia informed the outraged author.

"Mrs. Frederic? No, I will not be part of this blasphemy. She is a reasonable woman and would not endorse this,"HG argued.

"Not only did we get her endorsement, we got her blessing," Claudia said standing up to HG.

Helena looked around the room, waiting for Myka to explain how wrong this all was. Myka pursed her lips and gave her partner the '_it won't be so bad'_ look.

"How can you possible expect me to spend weeks spouting about this inferior author?" HG said, hands on her hips.

"With your usual self-confidence, Helena," Claudia said - and there wasn't anyone other than HG who didn't see shades of the future Warehouse Caretaker in the young agent. She was putting HG Wells in her place!

Claudia walked calmly out of the office, with Helena at her heals protesting each step of the way. The door closed, but HG's voice could still be heard.

* * *

Myka smiled and shook her head. Leave it to Claudia to find the perfect torture for HG.

"Wait," Myka said as Artie gathered his papers to leave.

"Why is it that you guys had no trouble coming up with Helena's penance? Why is it that no one will give me mine? I don't know whether you think I can't get in trouble because I did – I did not listen to Helena and I talked to her mother. I interacted with the past – and that's a huge no no in time travel if you don't know, like the biggest. Why are you guys forgetting about me in all of this?" Myka questioned.

Artie looked over at Pete, who nodded his head to tell her.

"We didn't forget you, Myka. After all, you followed Helena into that room," Artie said.

"And closed the door! That's right," Myka added.

"Right so that's why we came up with your penalty, although I don't know Artie, I still say this is going overboard," Pete said.

Myka appreciated that Pete would be looking out for her, but didn't need to be protected.

"Give it to me straight," Myka implored.

She could sense that neither of them wanted to be the bearer of this news.

"Come on, how bad could it be?" Myka asked getting worried.

Pete's facial expression said it all – it was pretty bad. Then Artie uttered the words that summed up the torturous consequence.

* * *

Helena stopped in her path when she heard Myka shriek and yell – 'No anything but that guys, please!" HG worried about what was going on, but didn't want to miss an opportunity to convince Claudia how wrong she was.

"She sounds in pain," HG said, hesitating.

"I'm not surprised," Claudia answered looking back at the office door. "You know the course you're teaching for the next six weeks?

"Yes," HG answered.

"She just found out…. she's driving you," the future Sage said as she walked away.

* * *

Mrs. Frederic picked up the journal that she had considered sharing with her guest. Some of the pages had been cut out so that the slender device could be hidden in it. Irene turned to the page in the back that remained intact and read:

_April 1, 1885_

"'_The most peculiar thing occurred in my laboratory today. I was subdued by the most enticing creature I have ever had the pleasure of running into. She did not seem to take anything from the desk, yet she skillfully rendered me helpless by the mere touch of my neck. She was obviously trained in a form of martial arts. Although she trespassed, she was kind enough to catch me and lay me on the couch in the most comfortable of positions. Before surrendering to sleep, I stared into the most beautiful pools of jade I have ever seen. I don't think I have even been so taken with someone who exuded such sensuality, but I know if I ever cross paths with her again, now or in the future, my heart will know her in an instant." HG_

Mrs. Frederic closed the journal. _Yes_, she thought, _the Regents should allow Helena to resume her work ….. in about six weeks._

* * *

**Many thanks for reading along. You comments, suggestions and questions encourage me to  
keep going and try harder. So thank you for sharing all of them with me. **

**Happy Easter :-)**


	11. Epilogue

**Just wanted this to end with HG and Myka ...**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"**If I could go back in time to before we met, I'd look for you and find you sooner ….so I could love you longer." S. Jones**

* * *

**When you like someone, you like them in spite of their faults. When you love someone, you love them with their faults." Hermann Hesse**

* * *

"Myka! How many more weeks of this infernal class do I have left?" HG asked as if Myka was not only her designated chauffeur, but her secretary as well.

"I told you on the way here, Helena, after tonight, there are _five_ more weeks to go," Myka answered and then added; " _Five_ very long weeks," as they walked in the parking lot outside the school.

"I cannot believe they found so many gullible people to sign up for this class," HG said through her teeth as she waved and smiled at one of the students.

"People enjoy programs that expand their minds or entertain them," Myka explained.

"How am I expected to expand their minds Myka, when I am proliferating nonsense? _Jules Verne as the_ _Father of Science Fiction_ my bloody …..," HG stopped short of saying what she really thought.

"What do you think the purpose of this was, Helena?" Myka asked as they walked to the car. The lesson was perfectly clear to Myka.

"To test my patience above and beyond any limit I have met before?" HG asked facetiously.

"Our actions really upset our friends, Helena. They thought we were …," Myka started.

"Yes, I know," HG cut her off not wanting to be reminded. "I care for neither the idea of a group sentencing, nor that it was Claudia of all people who enforced it," HG declared as she got in the passenger seat.

"Well, she is your future boss," Myka reminded the Brit.

That made Helena stop and think for a minute.

"Well with all due respect, I do hope it is no time soon. I have worked very hard on helping Mrs. Frederic understand me," HG said.

"And you've been _so_ patient with her," Myka said, suppressing a laugh.

"I do not mind that I endured the lion's share of the penalty," HG said genuinely. She was not even sure Myka received a consequence because if she had, Helena could not figure it out.

Myka just looked at HG. She smiled to think how sincerely Helena meant that – even though she was sadly mistaken. HG's price was one hour a week – Myka was losing count how many hours she was spending listening to HG complain about having to comply with teaching a class about the _genius of Jules Verne. _

One of HG's students called out as he went to the car behind hers. "Great class, Ms. Wells," he said.

HG smiled and recognized him as the young man who sat up in the front and asked a lot of questions.

* * *

"_So you're saying that Jules Verne is a better writer than HG Wells?" he asked _and Helena actually drew blood from biting down on her lip.

"_I would not say…. better," _she said dabbing her lip with a tissue_, "But on par…. with," she said slowly. _The words made her shudder, but it was what was written in her notes.

* * *

Now the young man got in his car and waited for his teacher to pull away.

"How did she do?" the woman in the back seat asked.

"She did …. okay. Kept to the syllabus, didn't talk too much about HG Wells, was almost believable," the driver answered.

"Good, HG. Very good," the woman said.

"Back to the B&B?" the young man asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yes, please," Claudia said. "And take the shortcut. I need to get back before them."

* * *

An hour later, Myka pulled up to very quiet B&B. It was a cool crisp evening and the sky was lit up by a full moon, and the swaying trees cast shadows. Helena stood by the car to take in stillness of the night. Myka joined her and leaned back alongside her.

"It is so dark out," Myka commented in a soft voice. She gazed up at the sky.

"Thank you for being there for me," Helena said, entwining her arm in Myka's and pulling her closer.

"It's my pleasure," Myka said because in spite of HG's complaining, Myka would choose to be with HG over not being with her anytime.

"How is your lip?" Myka asked, turning Helena to face her so she could inspect the slightly swollen skin. She smiled to think how hard Helena was working at completing her task.

Helena stood there as Myka inspected the wound. She had stared into those eyes thousands of time before – they always invited and enveloped her. She knew every speck in those green pools. She spent hours studying them as if they truly were the windows to Myka's soul. And yet, tonight was one of the first times she looked into them in the shadows of moonlight. There was something that caught her off guard – and she stared, as if looking at them for the first time. Something haunting pulled at HG – and she was both frightened and excited at the same time.

"Myka, did I touch you when you traveled back to London?" Helena asked.

"Yes, you were breathtaking, even in a dimly lit, damp basement," Myka said, touching Helena's lip slightly to see if it was ok.

"No, I mean actually touched you," Helena asked.

It gave Myka pause, and she looked up at the sky trying to remember. "Yes, when I was laying you down on the couch, you ran you fingers over my hand. Why?" Myka asked.

"Myka, when I was younger, my affairs always ended when I realized my lover did not measure up to this phantom standard that lived in my imagination. I could never put words to it, but I always seemed to be searching for the person to fill a void that. I never understood it Myka, until now," Helena said awakening her memory.

"What are you saying, sweetie?" Myka asked.

"Myka, I never forgot you. Our chance meeting left an indelible mark on me. I didn't see your face, but I looked into those eyes and touched you. Your very essence affected me – so much so – that no one ever came close to you. I had been waiting for you since then," Helena said.

Given how long Helena was talking about, and how she had spent a great deal of it, Myka wasn't sure it was a good thing.

"Helena, I'm sorry if my action caused you pain all those years while you were ….," Myka stopped. She didn't like to think about what bronzing was like for Helena. Now it was Helena who brought the comfort.

"No, Myka – don't you see? Even then, all those years – it was one of the best feelings I had with me. It was one of the things that sustained me, Myka," Helena said remembering how it was always there, in the recess of her mind.

Myka liked that somehow she had always been a part of Helena – long before they met – when she became a part of Myka.

"I thought the room went back to its place or origin, Myka, but really – we did. We went back to the beginning of us," Helena said.

"I like that we have an even longer history than I thought," Myka said smiling. "I am grateful that you waited."

"True love waits, Myka, over the expanses of time and distance. And if we allow our hearts to navigate for us, it will bring us to what we have been searching for. Mine brought me back to you," HG said.

Sweeter words had never filled the night, and Myka pulled Helena into her and hugged her, her heart filled with the emotions of feeling complete.

"God, you really are a better writer than Verne," Myka laughed softly.

Yes she was - she truly was.

* * *

**Thanks for tolerating one more update -**


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